Into The Woods
by thehedge
Summary: After her life falls apart, Hermione joins Sirius, Remus and Draco at Grimmauld Place. Living with three incredibly handsome men leads to things getting interesting.
1. Chapter 1

She tossed and turned, her long brown hair quietly striking the pillows as she tried vainly to fall asleep. She huffed, rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She counted the cracks and stains above her. She needed to sleep more often. She knew that her ceiling had four long cracks, with a few dimples from water damage and a dark grey blotch tainting the upper left corner of the room.

She fleetingly wondered why no one had redone the paint. It could be a simple fix with the right spell. She twiddled her thumbs and let her head drop to the right side to stare at the boxes stacked by the door.

* * *

" _Are you sure you don't need anything else, kitten?" Sirius asked, carrying a heavy box filled to the brim with books. He didn't think that there was any way that she would bring more books to his house, as he already had a large library with an extensive selection, but he should have known better._

 _Hermione walked in after him, carrying a lamp and plugged it into the socket beside her bed. She tucked her hair behind her ear and pulled down the edge of her t-shirt that had ridden up during her trek through the house._

 _Sirius knew his eyes lingered on the strip of skin a moment too long, but when Hermione met his eyes questioningly, he did not falter. He confidently gave her a lopsided smile and put down the box. She tried not to notice the way his tan, muscular arms flexed with the movement._

* * *

Hermione had yet to touch the boxes, settling on a night of restless sleep instead of facing her issues head on. She frowned, turned her head back to face the ceiling and closed her eyes. She was not the sort to run away from her problems.

She could do this.

Hermione sighed loudly and rolled to the edge of the bed, swung her legs around and stood up. She tugged her shirt down and pulled on a small pair of striped cotton shorts. She padded over to the boxes by the door and took a deep breath.

She reached in and grabbed her first book.

* * *

" _Sweet Salazar, Granger, did you bring anything other than books?" Draco grumbled, bringing another large box of books into the room. "I don't think I've seen anything remotely resembling clothing or toiletries or anything resembling personal effects."_

 _Draco Malfoy stood tall at 6'3'', taller than Sirius' 6'2'' and Hermione's 5'8''. He had grown much broader since his days at Hogwarts and his skin was no longer sallow, but a graceful fair._

 _They were now friends, but he still loved to get under her skin. He did whatever possible to make Hermione feel tiny and uncomfortable when he could. He stepped into the room, gently nudging Hermione aside to place his box on top of Sirius'._

" _I don't know how you're expecting to live a normal life when you failed to bring a single suitcase of clothes." He teased, his words seemingly pointed, but they lacked the trademark venom._

 _He pulled a book from the box in front of him and leisurely flipped through the pages._

" _I don't suppose you're going to fashion a dress out of these?" He smirked, winking at Hermione over the print._

* * *

Hermione moved silently as the bookcases beside her bed were gradually filled. She organized them several times, unable to decide whether to arrange them by author, subject matter or title. She ultimately settled on subject matter.

She sighed again after another hour had passed, stepping back to admire her work. The bookshelves were full and one box stubbornly remained. She would put those books in the library down the hall.

* * *

" _It is slightly concerning that we found no clothes while unpacking you car, Hermione." Remus smiled at her when he entered the room, "But I know that you're capable of taking care of yourself, and unlike these brooding, argumentative men, I know not to poke the lioness."_

 _Remus dropped the box to rest atop the other two and then placed a hand on Hermione's lower back and kissed her cheek warmly. He was definitely the most diplomatic of her three new roommates, with his studious and temperate nature. She hoped that he would become the voice of reason in this unavoidably tempestuous household._

" _We're happy to have you here with us. Is there anything else that we can get for you to help you get settled in?" Remus asked. He looked down at her with the other men, all of them standing quite formidably with their arms crossed._

 _Hermione smiled and thanked them for their efforts, but politely refused their offers of dinner and housewarming. She wished to be alone to sort her things and didn't come out of her room for the rest of the evening._

* * *

"Do we know why she moved out of the Weasel's house?" Draco asked, swirling his firewhiskey of the tumbler in his hand.

He sat on the couch in the sitting room next to Remus, the room filled with a content silence up until this point. Remus sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"No, we don't. All Harry said is that she broke things off with Ron and gathered her things. He offered her a place to stay for a few nights, but she wanted somewhere more permanent and he pushed her towards moving in here with us." Remus took a sip of his drink, looking up at the ceiling briefly when he heard the quiet sounds of her feet padding on the creaky floorboards above them. "I don't think anyone knows why she left. Harry is very concerned."

Sirius sat quietly, listening to Hermione as well. He took a deep swig from the bottle in his lap, happy to refuse an elegant glass. His tattooed fingers hung around the bottle's neck loosely.

"They were together for what, six years?" Draco asked, "You don't just end something like that for no reason."

Six years ago, Draco would not have been caught dead batting an eyelash towards the brunette, unless it was to throw a slur. Following the Battle of Hogwarts and the end of the Second Wizarding War, he faced rehabilitation and house arrest, being forced to move in with his only free living relative, Sirius Black.

As he was revealed to be a spy along with Severus Snape following their trials, Draco was released from the charges after six months. He was already settled into Grimmauld Place with Sirius and Remus by the time he was let off. He found them amusing and enjoyable roommates, so he stayed. Six years of family and Order gatherings later, he was firmly wound into the social circle of his old enemies and ensconced in their lives.

To everyone's surprise, he and Harry got along rather famously when house and family rivalries were absent. Harry facilitated the restoration of Draco's reputation in the Wizarding World, and he successfully convinced him to become an Auror with him and Ron. Sirius entered the Auror training program with Draco, happy to funnel his rebelliousness and restlessness into a productive activity. He and Draco became partners upon graduating and resolved to bring honor and pride to the Black family name again.

Remus was extremely content with his career, having bought a bookstore in Diagon Alley with Hermione a few years earlier. He ran day-to-day operations while she managed the finances and handled the procurement of rare books. She spent the majority of her time at her job in the depths of the Ministry, her head dug deep into ancient tomes and artifacts. He took care of the store while she worked and owned a third of the business, with Hermione also owned a third and Sirius owned the remaining third.

Remus sighed and ran his hands over his face when Hermione stopped moving upstairs. He hoped that she was finally able to fall asleep.

"I have no idea why she left, but I'm sure she has a good reason. We've all noticed her becoming increasingly withdrawn over the past few months and I don't think I've seen her look at him once during the last several Weasley dinners." He leaned back on the couch and drank from his tumbler.

The three men sat in silence, took the occasional drink from their whiskey and contemplated the woman upstairs.

* * *

" _Hermione, come on! We can talk about this!" Ron shouted at her, storming into their bedroom to prevent her from throwing the rest of her belongings into the boxes on the bed. He reached in quickly and started removing texts from the box and threw them onto the carpet with solid thick thuds._

 _Hermione refused to look at the books on the floor or her now ex-lover. She simply tried to put things into boxes at a faster rate than Ron could confiscate them and settled with successfully only removing three quarters of her books._

 _Ron was growing increasingly desperate and he moved around the bed, rushing to her side. He grabbed her arm unforgivingly, yanking on her soft skin and swinging her around to face him. He pushed her into the wall behind them and hissed at her in a bitter snarl._

" _What, do you think you're better than me or something?" He growled, bringing his hand up to her face and she flinched. She continued to refuse to meet his eyes, grimacing when his grip on her chin grew tight and harsh. She wrenched her face out of his grasp and made to slip by him, but he grabbed her hips and ground himself into her._

" _You know you miss me, sweetheart." He whispered into her ear and she shuddered in disgust. "It's been months since we've been together, all because of your stupid job. You know that you want to feel my touch again, and you know that I can't stand being without your softness." He clenched his fingers on her hips and dug his fingertips into her flesh. Hermione let out a quiet hiss when his nails punctured her. He assumed that her hiss was of pleasure, while she was, in reality, repulsed and in pain._

 _Hermione slid her hands up his chest to rest on his shoulders and shoved him away from her. She grabbed the edges of her boxes and apparated outside of her flat, leaning against her car to take a breath. She swiftly brought her wand up to heal the red marks on her chin and the small welts on her hips._

 _She then loaded her boxes into the car and drove to Harry's house._

* * *

Draco blinked awake groggily, raised his head from between his arms and ruffled his hair sleepily. He could almost swear that he could smell food cooking in the kitchen.

He smirked at the impossibility of that notion, knowing full well that their kitchen was left unused except in the presence of the Weasley matriarch. Neither Sirius nor Draco could cook an edible meal as they had been raised with House Elves, and Remus was worthless at cooking anything that did not contain chocolate.

He let his head fall back into his pillow, inhaling the scent of sleep and relaxed again.

A few minutes later, he was certain that he heard the soft clatter of a pan below him. He decided to satisfy his curiosity.

Draco walked quietly down the stairs, savoring the steady stream of delicious smells. The closer he got, the more he heard the rustling of pots and pans and even the sizzle of food on the stove. He pulled his wand from the back of his pajama bottoms, ready to extinguish any fire that Sirius may have lit.

Just about to enter the kitchen, he spotted Remus and Sirius hovering by the doorway. He frowned when he noticed them, only just then remembering the newest member of their household. Remus and Sirius turned when they heard him approach and they nodded in greeting.

Draco finally got a look at the woman in their kitchen and his mouth went dry.

Soft jazz was emitting from the yellow radio on the counter and Hermione's hips swayed mildly to the beat while she flipped what looked like perfectly edible toast in the skillet. He wasn't even sure when they had gotten plates, let alone a pan or pot. She was making eggs, French toast and bacon, dancing in her bare feet and sipping tea from the mug in her right hand, a spatula in her left. Her long dark hair fell down her back, riotous curls slightly frizzed from what they were all sure was rather turbulent and short sleep.

The men all met eyes with mouths watering from both the food and the chef. They grinned at each other, not having considered this benefit of having a mature female roommate. They were going to turn back from the room and avoid disturbing her, but she called out to them.

"Boys, if you're done hovering, I made breakfast." She didn't turn around, but placed four plates on the table and loaded them all up with food. The men sheepishly came to the table and sat down. "I made French toast, eggs and bacon. I also added some chocolate chips to yours, Remus." She dropped a light kiss on the top of his head before returning to the counter to grab the syrup and teapot.

She joined them at the table and pulled her unruly hair into a messy bun. They thanked her vehemently and began shoveling food into their mouths.

She smiled at the familiar sight, happy to have one thing that never changed over the years.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, the three men were more pleased with their living arrangement than they had ever been.

Remus lived for the complex and riveting conversations he and Hermione held in the library late at night. They would pull books from the shelves to back up their arguments and discuss muggle and wizard authors alike. He loved the way she would leave chocolate bars by his door when he'd had a bad day and how she managed to sneak chocolate into his breakfast and coffee throughout the day.

She was an excellent roommate and friend and he found that Moony quite liked her as well. He often found himself tucking her into his side when she fell asleep on the couch, letting his hand rest on her lower back to lead her into rooms and switching her tea to decaf when she didn't notice, hoping to improve her sleep patterns. He would let himself smell her when she sat close to him and she smelled like comfort, home and happiness.

Sirius found himself reveling in the presence of their new roommate too. She often found herself resting against him late at night, while he grew used to keeping an arm around her when they were seated adjacent to one another. He often found himself watching her across the house, whether she was cooking in the kitchen, reading in the den or researching in the library.

He loved bickering with her over mundane things, doing his best to draw her out of her shell that had somehow grown around her over the past few years. He never noticed it developing, but her walls were now so thick he was surprised that anyone could see her at all. Her wariness and tension was palpable, and he spent most of his time away from work in her presence. Whether soothing her or agitating her, he was always close by.

Their last roommate, the Slytherin, observed the two Marauders close in on Hermione. He watched the heated glances and lingering brushes of Sirius and the familiarity and comfort she drew from Remus. He did his best to avoid her company as he had over the past six years, not eager to start a fight with his former rival.

He knew she was hiding the reason behind her and Ron's split, and he knew that Sirius and Remus were too close to her to force her to confront it. While he was not losing sleep over the love life of his roommate, he was still fairly certain that Ron had done something that warranted abuse and he ached for a good reason to carry it out. He had not been able to harm the Weasel for many years due to his friendship with Harry and the Weasley twins, but he had the nagging suspicion that Ron had done something irrevocably immoral to cause Hermione's complete abandonment of him. The woman was always fiercely loyal.

Draco watched her chat with Remus and Sirius over his morning tea. She lifted an arm to lightly swat Sirius on the shoulder when he whispered something clearly inappropriate into her ear and Draco spotted a shimmer on her wrist. He frowned, focusing hard on the area before dropping his fork with a subtle clink against the plate.

He wiped his mouth with his napkin and excused himself.

* * *

Harry and Ron sat at the familiar dark bar of the Leaky Cauldron, drinking from tall mugs of butterbeer and sharing a plate of fries. They discussed their most recent case, determined not to discuss the elephant in the room: Hermione.

Although Ron tried to persuade him otherwise, Harry had resolved to be neutral in the split of his best friends. He knew that Ron was missing Hermione desperately, but he trusted her to have a genuine reason for leaving. He would be lying if he said he had not wondered, at times, why she stayed with Ron for so long. Ron was an exceptional friend and Auror partner, but he had seen him become a complacent and possessive man and he believed that Hermione deserved better. He only hoped that Hermione's reason for leaving was that she had stopped loving him, and not that Ron had done anything inexcusable.

Sirius, Remus and Draco, soon joined them they moved to a table placed in the corner of the room. They ordered butterbeer and food as well as shots of firewhiskey for each of them. It was tradition on Tuesday nights for the men to share whiskey and discuss their lives, and although Draco had been coming for the entirety of the tradition, Ron always found a way to slip insults and petty jabs at him throughout the evening.

Draco passed out the whiskey glasses and poured for each of them. They all raised their glasses in a silent toast and drank.

"So how about a game, lads?" Draco asked, "I'm sure Remus is getting tired of hearing Auror stories week after week, and it's not as if Potter or Weasel are able to keep up in a debate about books." He smirked at Harry as he glared back at him, ignoring the snarl on Ron's face.

Remus jumped into the conversation, hoping to postpone the inevitable Weasley-Malfoy spat.

"I would love to play a game, Draco. What will it be?" Remus asked, looking to Sirius and Harry for assistance as they watched Ron glare at Draco heatedly.

Sirius watched his cousin carefully, unsettled by the manner in which Draco was watching Ron. Normally, Draco would poke and prod Ron until he predictably blew up in a fit of juvenile rage, but tonight Draco seemed much more measured. Purposeful. Focused. He was intrigued and wanted to see where this went.

By living with Draco for several years and bringing him into the fold of the light, Sirius learned many things about his cousin. He knew that Draco was a well-meaning man with honor and principle, but that he also possessed a wickedly vindictive side when provoked. Sirius and Draco had been on many adventures together as Auror partners, and over the years Sirius had grown to trust Draco's malevolent episodes. They were rarely undeserved, and while Ron and Draco were always squabbling, Sirius had never seen Draco watch Ron with the dark eyes unexceptionally reserved for dark wizards. His fingers tightened around his glass as he contemplated what Draco's ire could possibly mean.

Sirius met Remus' eyes across the table with a hard look, and Remus returned it with confusion.

"I think we should play 'Never Have I Ever'." Draco smirked, clinking his glass with Harry's. Harry and Remus cheered happily while Ron smiled uneasily and Sirius kept a cool expression on his face. Draco and Sirius made eye contact and Sirius quirked his head in question. Draco simply nodded to him.

"Yes, definitely." Sirius replied, letting his lips stretch into an effortless smile and raised his glass. "I'll go first."

The men all sat, watching Sirius contemplate for a moment. He pulled his wand out and tapped all of the glasses in the circle, muttering under his breath.

"A simple truth spell to keep us honest." Sirius made eye contact with Ron easily, making sure to keep his rising malice out of his gaze. "I've never had sex at the Burrow." He smirked at Harry, laughing when his and Ron's hands automatically rose from the table. The men around the table chuckled as the two men drank.

"Alright," Harry wiped the foam from his mouth, "I've never been unable to get it up for a woman." They laughed good-naturedly when Ron's hand rose and his face flushed crimson.

"I was drunk, it wasn't my fault." Ron mumbled, ducking his head to avoid meeting anyone's eyes. "I've never fallen asleep on the job." He laughed when Harry's hand shot up and his face flushed.

"It was a 72 hour shift, I don't know what you expected when you left me to carry out the stakeout alone, mate." Harry grumbled, drinking deep from his mug.

"I've never been struck by Hermione Granger." Remus grinned, watching every other man at the table's hands shoot up and they all laughed and drank.

"She's a fiery one." Sirius laughed, "Although I'm fairly certain she's only hit Draco, here, across the face. Aside from The War, that is." Sirius smirked at Draco's glare.

About thirty minutes later, the men were on their third and fourth butterbeers, laughing heartily at Harry's tale about a rather unfortunate encounter with Cho Chang in a broom closet.

"I can't believe you dropped her, mate." Sirius laughed, slapping his leg and drinking deeply from his mug. "I think it's Draco's turn, now." He nodded to him.

Draco waited until they stopped laughing, wanting his words to have the maximum effect. He made eye contact with Ron and let his smile drop down into a vindictive snarl.

"I have never struck Hermione Granger."

Ron's hand shot up.

Harry and Remus froze as they watched Ron's face turn white. Ron's eyes were locked on Draco's and he realized, in that moment, that he was completely and irrevocably fucked. Sirius's dark eyes locked on Ron with fire, and he went to lunge across the table, but Draco immobilized the men around the table.

Draco stood up slowly, leaning heavily on the table in front of him to meet Ron's eyes with surety.

"I have never cheated on Hermione Granger."

Ron's hand shot up again, disregarding the spell keeping the rest of him stuck in place. His eyes held absolute fear as he watched Harry and Remus turn red and shake with rage.

"I have never taken Hermione without her consent."

Harry, Remus and Sirius' eyes were locked on Ron's hand, their breath held. Ron's hand lay stubbornly on the table and they all sighed with relief. Ron looked up at Draco with absolute fear, trying to guess his next move.

Draco grabbed the bottle of firewhiskey left on a nearby table and took a deep gulp. He walked back over to their table and took a deep breath.

"Well, at least you're not a rapist." He sighed, drinking again from the bottle and cracked his neck. He returned the bottle to the table next to them and cracked his knuckles. "That's a rather low bar to set, Weasel." Ron's face reddened with the usage of that hated nickname.

"Here's what's going to happen." He paused, watching the terrified redhead in front of him. "I'm going to immobilize them in a few seconds, but I claim the first shot. Ready?" He smirked cruelly at Ron and flexed his hand in preparation.

A muffled shout leaked through the charm keeping Ron still, and Malfoy grinned.

* * *

Hermione stood in the kitchen making dinner, reading from the book she held open with her left hand while stirring with her right. She swayed side-to-side and hummed quietly, dark curly tendrils framing her face.

She heard the door open behind her and she heard Draco call out for her. She called back that she was in the kitchen and waiting for him to join her.

Draco strode into the kitchen silently and watched her at the stove for a moment. She heard him enter and put down the book to greet him.

"Oh my god, Malfoy! What the hell happened to your hand?" She cried, dropping the wooden spoon to grab his hand and examine his bloody and bruised knuckles. "Are you alright? I thought you were going out with the boys tonight?" She lightly ran her fingers across his hand and flexed the fingers, checking for breaks.

Draco stood mute and watched her, a pensive expression on his face.

After he failed to respond to her many questions, Hermione went to grab her wand and heal his hand. She stepped away to get it from the counter, but Draco grabbed her arm softly and kept her from moving away.

He felt his stomach turn when she flinched away.

Her head shot up and her mouth dropped open, trying to think of a way to laugh off the response but his sober expression terminated her thoughts. She looked up at him in silence and he brought up a hand to stroke her cheek delicately.

"I'm sorry, but the others know."

Her heart stopped.

"What are you talking about?" She tried to step away, but he kept her close. His presence was not oppressive or threatening, but firm and sure.

He reached down to grasp her hand smoothly and stroked the dark bruises he knew she hid behind her glamor.

"I enjoy harming the Weasel, but I no longer enjoy harming you. They needed to know and I am not sorry that they are aware, but I do regret any pain their awareness may cause you. The others will likely storm into this house soon in a blaze of Gryffindor glory and bravery, and you should prepare yourself." He stroked her cheek again and kissed the top of her head in a move of quiet affection.

He released her and they stood in silence. Hermione stared at the floor and Draco observed her unobtrusively. They breathed together.

This moment seemed to go on forever, with palpable borders that kept Hermione and Draco suspended. He allowed her this ceasefire, as he knew that her life was about to be turned upside down.

Suddenly, a loud bang broke the silence.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry, Remus and Sirius grumbled, anger simmering under the surface. They sat strapped to their chairs, black ties taut.

Harry's cheek was bright red. His hair stuck out every which way and his fury was tangible yet silent, thanks to Hermione's spell work. Sirius was also unruly, but the blood was solely on his hands. His bruised fingers flexed in captivity and his dark blue eyes followed Hermione's pacing form.

Surprisingly enough, it was Remus who looked the worst of the three. Remus' face was covered in scratches and he had a black eye. His hands were not as bloody as Sirius', but there was a shard of glass stuck in his right palm. His eyes were golden and locked on the furious witch ahead of them.

* * *

" _Hermione!" Remus shouted, slamming the front door behind him and his loud footsteps thundered through the house. He looked into the sitting room and dining room on his way to the kitchen, stopping when he found Hermione standing in the center of the room with Draco stable by the fridge._

 _Remus watched Hermione for a moment, breathing heavily. Hermione's arms held herself around the middle. Her gaze was sealed to the floor and her face was pale. He strode closer to her, reaching his hand out to touch her arm but hesitating when he discovered the shimmer Draco had seen earlier in the day._

 _Hermione's sad eyes rose to meet Remus' and he fought to stay in control. He felt Moony surface in response to the wariness and exhaustion that seeped from Hermione's every pore. His eyes converted to golden in a flash and he found himself pulling her into his arms, burying his nose into the soft skin where her shoulder met her neck._

 _Hermione hung limply in his arms; her face clear of emotion while Remus' low growls filled the air. She permitted him this comfort, understanding that the knowledge that one of his pack mates was wounded must be driving him mad._

 _She was content to let him verify her health for a few moments, but she found her frustration mounting as he possessively held her. She tried to pull back from his arms, but Moony snarled and wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her close._

 _Hermione huffed and pushed hard against his chest, but he would not move. Exasperated by this scuffle, Draco stepped forward to pull Remus away but Hermione held up her hand._

" _Moony." She growled, her head forced to the side as Moony rubbed his cheek against her neck and ensured her safety. "Moony, I'm fine." She quietly tried to soothe him, but a loud bang behind them rattled him again and caused his grip to tighten._

" _Hermione!" Hermione's head fell back and she let out a long groan. Moony nuzzled in deeper at this shift and she found her face flushing when his stubble grazed a sensitive spot by her ear._

 _Hermione still hung in the tall man's arms when Harry and Sirius stormed into the room; the men rushed to surround her and confirm her health. The room became loud and stifling at once, with shouts and growls filling Hermione's head and overwhelming her. She once again tried to pull away from Remus, but he kept a firm grip and she felt overloaded and maddened._

" _How could you not tell us, Hermione? You know we would have stood by you!" Harry shouted, desperate to meet Hermione's eyes and understand how he had failed his sister. Harry continued to shout unintelligibly as Sirius' voice rose to overtake his own._

 _Sirius paced behind Harry, his bloody hands wringing. "I don't understand why you took him to the Ministry, Harry. We should have just beaten that motherfucker bloody. Well, bloodier." He marched closer to Hermione, Harry and Remus to try and touch Hermione. "Are you alright, kitten?" His hand rose to stroke Hermione's cheek and he growled when she flinched away. His eyes darkened further and he resumed pacing, envisaging his hands around a certain ginger's throat._

 _Hermione's mind became further scattered with the multitude of protective touches and noise and she decided she had had enough. She pulled her wand from her side and brought it up to freeze the three men in place._

 _They all shouted in surprise at her sudden movement, their mouths dropped open in protest but she silenced them. She levitated them into the sitting room and sat them down on three chairs, black ties expelling from her wandtip to bind them in place._

* * *

She sat down on the couch across from them; Draco leaned against the parlor wall. Hermione watched the men across from her; saw their frustration and pain while they watched their girl gather herself. She decided that she wanted to be open and honest with them, but she also knew that she was not one to be controlled.

"Yes, I left Ron because he was abusive." Sirius, Remus and Harry watched her cautiously. "Not that it's anyone's business, but I had planned on keeping it to myself." She glared at Draco who met her eyes firmly and unrepentantly.

"I am only going to say this once, and it is solely because I understand how angry you must all be that I am explaining myself and my actions. Understand?" She quirked her head at the men and they nodded slowly. Sirius and Remus' eyes held a canine ferocity that was only comparable to Harry's dark emerald fury.

Hermione took a deep breath before continuing. She had never verbalized this, but she knew that it would be impossible to live with her friends and family if she kept this from them any longer.

She allowed her gaze to drop to her hands and ran her fingers over her wrists.

"It happened slowly, like all of these things do." She tucked a hair behind her ear. Draco watched her fingers shake minutely.

"He was always quick to anger, but over the years he became increasingly possessive and aggressive. He would grow jealous rapidly, get upset when I stayed late at work and was unsatisfied that I decided to foster a career instead of starting a family with him. He was paranoid that something was going on between me and most of the men in my life, including all four of you." Her eyes flashed briefly to all four men in the room.

"So I began withdrawing from him, unsettled by his random episodes of animosity and aggression. He didn't start with a slap or anything that violent, it was mostly just passive aggressive comments about my career or frigidity." Her stare dropped at that, but she could tell that Sirius and Remus' anger rose at the thought that Ron would verbally abuse Hermione about such sensitive subjects.

"He slowly started pushing me around a bit when I came home late or didn't pay him enough attention, but I mostly ignored it. It developed gradually, and I found my focus on my career all-encompassing. I loved him enough to let him win the smaller battles. Over the past four years, I let him win most of the battles we fought and then all of a sudden I woke up and realized that I wasn't me anymore. I wasn't Hermione Granger, know-it-all extraordinaire." She smiled sadly and looked over at Draco who met her eyes warily.

"So I got ready to leave and I came home early to start packing my things. I came home to find a naked Lavender Brown on my couch and I didn't even bat an eye." Harry's face fell and he opened his mouth to comfort her, but he was still silenced. Hermione shook her head at him and smiled dejectedly.

"It's alright, Harry. I think somewhere deep down I always knew about them. It wasn't a surprise and it didn't affect my decision. I ignored Ron when he got up and tried to explain himself to me and I went into the bathroom to gather my things while he got Lavender out of the apartment. He cornered me in the bathroom and begged me to understand, but I was just so done at that point." Hermione took a breath and continued on, sure to not meet any of the men's eyes.

"We fought and he pushed me into the sink and slapped me." The tension grew to an unfeasibly new level and the silence was thick. Hermione sat in stillness for a few moments to gather her thoughts.

"It simply reinforced my convictions. I moved out of his grasp and got what I could and left for Harry's. Simple as that." She nodded to herself and stood up slowly to release the men from their confines.

Harry, Remus and Sirius stood. Remus' eyes were no longer gold, but a deep blue. Sirius and Harry's eyes were considerably lighter and they all watched the witch with a sense of calm respect.

Harry stepped closer to Hermione and opened his arms.

She met his eyes and her composure broke. She shook her head and sniffed quietly, stepped into his arms and buried her head in his shoulder. He brought up a hand to run through her long hair and soothed her with small noises of comfort.

"I'm so sorry, 'Mione. I can't imagine what that felt like." He murmured to her, pulling her closer. "I'm sorry that we didn't see it: that we didn't protect you." His grip tightened; he clenched his jaw and fought to rein in his anger.

She grumbled into his chest and he pulled back to see her tired face.

"What did you say, 'Mione?" He asked, concerned.

"I don't need to be protected, you dumb prick." She grumbled and Harry chuckled quietly before tucking her back into his embrace. He nodded and held her close, soothing her frayed nerves.

* * *

Over the next few days, the men in Grimmauld Place kept Hermione close. Despite her fervent protests, she understood that she lived with three very protective men and that surviving a violent and bloody war caused instincts to be closer to the surface.

She submitted to their touches and gestures, deeply touched by their concern. Remus and Sirius were the most obvious, leaving a slice of her favorite chocolate cake in the library each night and making sure her tea was made just to her liking. Remus found a copy of a book she had been trying to procure for months at no success and Sirius funded the purchase.

Each night, the three of them found themselves in the library close to the witch. Sirius and Remus kept her between them on the couch, with Hermione's back leaned against Sirius' chest and her feet in Remus' lap.

They had discovered this position a few weeks earlier when she had first moved in, but the two men insisted on it after discovering Ron's abuse. Hermione fought them at first, but even she could not deny the tranquility she received from their strong presence and she quite enjoyed reading with Sirius' chin on her shoulder, his head tucked into her curls as he alternated between reading with her and drifting off to sleep. She herself fought sleep often, due to Remus' calming yet possessive stroking of her legs and feet, occasionally giggling when Remus grazed a sensitive spot.

Draco typically rested in the armchair across from the three, quietly reading from books that he learned defensive charms from. He would find himself distracted often, watching Hermione breathe gently between the two Marauders who had claimed her for their own. Sirius would often play with her curls and Draco found himself mesmerized by the dark locks.

Although he would never reveal his inner thoughts, he held these moments above all others in his mind. The calmness he drew from these nights of tranquil friendship was not replicable or replaceable by any means. He kept an air of indifference and nonchalance, but he looked forward to these quiet nights with his roommates when he was off on raids with Sirius, and he could not wait to get home to be with his new family.

He looked up from his book when he hadn't heard anything for a few minutes.

Hermione had fallen asleep against Sirius, her head tilted back against his shoulder. Sirius' hands were curled around her and rested on her stomach, his chest rising and falling slowly with their breaths. Sirius appeared years younger when he had the witch in his arms, the tension absent from his firm form.

Remus was also asleep, his head resting on Hermione's stomach, close to Sirius' hands. Hermione's book had long since fallen to the side and her fingers were tangled in Remus' ashy blonde hair. Remus seemed younger as well, the darkness fading from his expressions when Sirius and Hermione were close by.

Draco smiled to himself and resumed reading.

* * *

A few days later, Hermione walked quietly into the kitchen. Her dark hair was in a messy ponytail and her sleep clothes consisted of a large Gryffindor Quidditch jersey she had found upstairs when cleaning. It was large on her, dropping to her upper thighs and her shoulder was visible from the wide neck.

She typically got up a few hours before the rest of the men in the house, so she didn't expect to run into anyone. Especially because they had all gone out last night and gotten home incredibly late. She had remembered to brew a hangover potion the week before, so she spooned a small amount into three mugs and sent them upstairs to each of their rooms with a flick of her wand.

Being Sunday morning, she decided to make everyone's favorite breakfast: pancakes and eggs. She put a kettle on the stove to make her morning tea and smirked when she noticed the slightly different color of the herbs in the box. She laughed at Remus' attempts to trick her and took herbs from her own secret box she kept under the sink.

"Sweet fucking Merlin."

Hermione shot up from her bent position and turned just in time to be picked up and dropped on the counter behind her. She yelped in surprise when she found herself pinned with a tall man between her legs and a large hand on her hip, holding her determinedly.

"What the hell, Sirius? What are you doing?" She cried, taken aback by his aggressiveness. She was used to him being in her personal space, but this was completely foreign to her.

Sirius looked down at her darkly, his pupils vast with lust and his teeth dug into his lip before he pulled her closer and ground into her center. Hermione's head fell back with a small feminine moan, only realizing now the effects of her months of abstinence. Sirius' hands traced up her bare legs, rejoicing in the softness of her thighs.

He brought his hands up to the hem of the jersey she wore and he brought his mouth to her ear and allowed his stubble to graze her neck.

"That's my jersey."

He groaned deeply into her ear as he felt her unconsciously undulate against him. Hermione's face flushed and she allowed herself to fold into his broad body. He smirked against her neck when he felt her heat up in response.

He allowed himself a few more moments of bliss before pulling back and grinning. He felt incredible satisfaction in the dark rose flush painting Hermione's cheeks and her lust glazed eyes.

He stepped back, set her down on the ground and kissed the top of her head. He grabbed his plate of food from the counter and sat at the table. Hermione stood against the counter and went to question Sirius, but he nodded to the door just in time for Remus and Draco to sleepily trudge inside.

Hermione smiled and gave Draco and Remus their plates and the four of them ate breakfast together. Remus and Draco looked questioningly at Sirius when they noticed Hermione's blush, but he just grinned mischievously. Hermione avoided eye contact through their breakfast, but when she snuck a peak at him, he was ready and waiting. He gave her a naughty wink and thanked her for breakfast.

* * *

It seemed undeniable that her roommates where on a mission to make her lose her mind. After her encounter with Sirius a few days ago, her libido had rapidly resurfaced and she found herself aching for a man between her legs.

Her tenaciously sexy housemates fostered this ache. She didn't know whether or not they secretly conspired to drive her mad, but it was working. She ran into Remus outside of the shower in just a towel, she saw Draco doing pull ups using his doorframe shirtless, and Sirius kept walking around sans a shirt every morning. She didn't know when the three men had become such studs, but she knew that if she stayed in the house any longer, she was going to jump one of them.

So she planned a date.

* * *

Sirius, Draco and Remus passed around a bottle of firewhiskey while playing cards at the kitchen table. The air was thick with smoke from their cigars.

Occasionally they heard a crash followed by cursing in Hermione's bedroom above them, but they ignored the frustrated woman. She had been getting ready for her date for about an hour and they could hear her nerves in her pacing.

It made sense for her to be nervous; she hadn't been on a date in six years. Before that, she was concerned with more emergent pursuits. Namely, keeping Harry Potter alive and defeating Voldemort and his army of Death Eaters. Somehow, she doubted that dueling skills and physical combat would help her in obtaining a boyfriend.

Draco, Remus and Sirius looked up when they heard Hermione's heels click against the old floors as she entered the kitchen. Their fingers tightened on their cigars and they took in the vision that was their roommate.

"Do I look alright?" Hermione asked, tossing her honey brown hair over her shoulder. She straightened out her dark grey dress and slipped into her tall black heels. "Boys?" She tilted her head, her cinnamon eyes lined with black kohl liner and her lashes full and dark.

Remus jumped, his eyes flashing back to blue from gold. "You look great, love. Who's this chap of yours?" He subtly nudged Sirius and Draco, snapping them out of their respective dazes.

Hermione slid her earrings in and smiled at them. "He's a friend of a friend from the Ministry. I think he works for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but he's in administration, not an Auror like you two." She nodded to Draco and Sirius.

A knock rang from the front door and she went to get it. Her date stood outside in a nice suit and he handed her a small bouquet of flowers. Her roommates peaked around the corner to catch a glimpse and he appeared to be absolutely ordinary.

"Hey, he's here so we're going to go! Have a great night, guys!" She smiled and waved, happy to be led out by the tall blonde man at the door.

Draco, Remus and Sirius looked at each other and a smug smirk curled across Sirius' face. They returned to the table and resumed their game, talking contentedly and waiting for Hermione to return home. They were certain that she would arrive unsatisfied and alone.

* * *

Sure enough, two hours later, Hermione stumbled back into the house. Alone.

She stormed into the room and tossed off her cardigan, kicked her shoes off with a clatter and threw herself down at the table. She stole Remus' cigar and took a deep drag, then grabbed the bottle of whiskey from Sirius and took an equally long drink from it. The men around the table watched her silently, not objecting to her confiscation of their items.

Draco smirked and dealt her a hand.

* * *

It became another tradition of theirs, every few nights. They boys would settle in for poker and put four glasses on the table and leave an extra unlit cigar for their fourth roommate. Hermione would scold them for assuming that her date was going to go terribly, and they would pretend to be offended.

Each night, Hermione would return an hour or two later, kick off her shoes and light her cigar. The boys would ask her about her date and she would rant about her strange experiences with various strange men. One man wanted her to take off her shoes; another asked her for her measurements; another tried to slip her something. Each date ended with Hermione storming off and joining her three tempting roommates in poker games.

Tonight, she was wearing a dark purple number and her date had asked her if she would ever consider an open relationship. They hadn't even ordered their appetizers. Hermione found him inexcusably repulsive and she fled.

"The bloke really asked if you'd be willing to let him fuck other birds?" Sirius asked, before taking a drag from his cigar and grabbing a card from the deck. "That's bold." He laughed and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yes. I don't know what the hell Ginny was thinking when she set us up." She grumbled.

Draco smirked at her. "I think she was thinking that you're getting pretty desperate after all of these failed dates." He met her heated glare easily. "Maybe there's a reason that all of these dates end up with you running away."

"And what would that be, Malfoy?" She glared, willing him not to insult her as she had definitely had enough this week.

"Perhaps you're not interested in men?" He laughed, winking at Sirius and Remus and savoring Hermione's aggravated flush. Remus frowned at him and hoped that Draco would leave the matter there, but he knew better than to expect Draco to not goad Hermione.

"Are you serious? That's definitely not the problem." She groused, drinking from her tumbler. Her head was pleasantly buzzing after her glass of wine at dinner and her two glasses of whiskey at the house.

"Are you certain? You've never really seemed passionate with the men in your life. Perhaps you're looking for a more feminine option?" Sirius laughed good-naturedly and winked at her. He knew it was definitely not true but he had no qualms about ruffling her feathers a bit.

"I can be passionate!" Hermione argued, her face flushing and her brow furrowing. Draco and Sirius laughed lightly and Remus just smiled at her across the table.

"I'm sure you can, love." Remus tried to be diplomatic, glaring at Sirius and Draco for further irritating Hermione. "You guys should leave her alone." Sirius and Draco smiled mischievously and turned to Hermione. They took the hint and backed off, nodding their submission and leaving Hermione alone.

Unfortunately, Hermione's slightly inebriated state caused her to miss this exchange. She stood up suddenly, startling her roommates before throwing back her whiskey and she walked over to stand in front of Remus.

"Hermione, wha-" Remus was incredibly confused as he stared up at Hermione's pink cheeks. He cut off abruptly when Hermione straddled him in his chair and Draco and Sirius went still.

The three men gaped at her, her dress rode up and her pale thighs were visible to Sirius and Draco beside her. Remus' eyes, however, were locked on Hermione's uncertain ones. Remus' hands stayed on the table and he felt time freeze when Hermione's lips descended to his neck and she licked a long strip of his skin.

His head fell back against the chair and he led out a loud groan, his hands flew to her hips to pull her down onto him and thrust against her. She let her hips gyrate naturally and Draco and Sirius' eyes were sealed to her curvy bottom. Remus hardened quickly when he smelt her arousal and he felt her heat against him. Hermione let out a quiet whimper at the feeling of Remus' large member rubbing against her under her dress, and she suddenly snapped out of her trance.

She pulled back from Remus and licked her lips. Remus' eyes were wide and his mouth was still open from shock. She swallowed thickly and got up, fleeing the room before they could question her actions.

The three men sat in their uncomfortably tight jeans and shocked silence.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione was humiliated. She hoped that if she regretted her actions enough, the floor would rise up to swallow her whole. She rolled over in bed; her mascara smeared under her eyes and her hair was unkempt and tangled. She winced at her horrendous breath, a mixture of sleep, cigars and whiskey.

She couldn't believe that she had molested Remus like that. She literally dry humped him and despite the fact that she aroused him, she couldn't help but imagine that he was an unwilling and embarrassed participant. She hoped that he would forgive her, but she realized that venturing out of her room was necessary for her to beg his forgiveness. It was two o'clock in the afternoon, and she still had not risen from bed.

She buried her head into her pillow again and groaned. Hopefully, she would be able to hide long enough for her housemates to leave and never come back.

She realized that this was unlikely, given that it was a Sunday and none of them worked on Sundays. She heard the floorboards outside creaking under heavy weight and slammed her eyes shut when she realized that one, if not all three, of her roommates were outside her door.

She huffed when she heard their low voices, grumbling to herself about 'stupid men and their stupid nice arms and stupid sexy faces.'

On the other side of the door, Remus stood with his hand raised to knock. He was concerned, taken aback by Hermione's extremely late wake up and her disregard for their Sunday breakfast tradition. Sirius and Draco sat on the stairs behind him, each happily munching on muffins from a nearby bakery.

"I don't know why you're so worried, Mate. She's probably just nursing a killer hangover from all that whiskey." Sirius' voice was muffled by his breakfast and Draco glared at him, brushing aside the crumbs that fell out of Sirius' mouth. "She's much smaller than us, I'm guessing that she just feels gross." He shrugged at Draco, not understanding Remus' concern.

"Maybe it's her monthly." Draco laughed, sipping from his to-go orange juice cup. "It would explain why her date went so poorly."

Remus cast him an annoyed look and turned back to the door. "It's not her monthly, Draco. Don't be crude." He took a deep breath and faced the door again.

Draco smirked at Remus' concern. He stood up and walked over to face him in front of the door. "Why are you so worried, anyways? We haven't heard any screaming or retching, so I doubt that anything bad has happened." He ran his hand through his hair while he talked.

"I don't think that she's sick," Remus responded, "I'm just worried that she's angry at us." His sentence trailed off quietly, his brow furrowing at the idea that their Hermione could be upset enough with them to avoid them for this long. He knew that she loved Sunday breakfast with her boys, so he recognized that she must be extraordinarily angry to miss it.

Sirius joined Draco and Remus at the door, frowning at Remus' worries. "Remus, mate, she's probably just a little embarrassed." Sirius clapped his hand on Remus' shoulder to offer him comfort.

Draco smiled at Remus and patted him on the back as well. "I'm sure that's it, Remus. She's probably just a little self-conscious after giving us all such a racy display." He waggled his eyebrows at Remus and winked at Sirius and they both laughed at Remus' mortified flush.

"Ready?" Sirius asked, and his evil grin greatly unsettled Remus.

"What-" Remus' eyes went wide and he froze when Sirius and Draco both knocked heavily on the door and fled down the hallway. The two men were tripping over themselves to get away from the door and they laughed heartily at the dumbstruck expression Remus' face.

Remus stood frozen at the door for a few moments, trying to decide whether to flee as well or stand and face Hermione. He, however, got too deep into his thoughts and was suddenly faced with a fresh-faced Hermione, still in her large sleep shirt with a toothbrush hanging from her mouth.

Hermione reddened quickly, her face matching Remus' dark red far too closely. The two bookworms stood staring at each other wide-eyed for a few moments, only for Hermione to nod sharply and dart back into her room. She closed her door with a loud smack and Remus found himself staring at wood again.

* * *

The next few days, Hermione and Remus avoided each other with a tenacity that most people would be incapable of. Hermione copied his work schedule and kept it by her bedside, checking when he would be out of the house in order to avoid running into him. She made dinner at 3pm in order to avoid dinners with her roommates and then went back to the Ministry to work late into the night.

Remus, in similar fashion, was keeping an eye on Hermione's work schedule and dodging her when he heard her coming close or smelled her in the house. He desperately missed their physical closeness and late night debates, but he couldn't bear to make her upset and he believed that she was ashamed of what transpired between them.

Sirius and Draco were amused by their bashfulness at first, teasing the two of them vigorously when they were alone, but they grew tired of it quickly. They loathed eating reheated dinners without the witch, Remus' absence at breakfast on the days Hermione was home, and Sirius longed for his pack. Draco, similarly, wanted his poker nights back. He was especially fond of mocking Hermione about her failed dates, and without Remus, he and Sirius were too antagonistic. They needed Remus' kind nature to balance out their provocation.

Sirius and Draco conspired late one night in the kitchen while eating reheated lasagna, waiting for Hermione to get home with Remus slept upstairs. It was only three days until the full moon, and Remus was getting increasingly aggravated as Moony fought him on the absence of his packmate. Remus snapped at Sirius and Draco many times over the past day or so and they knew that it would only get worse as the moon drew closer and Moony gained more control.

Hermione stumbled into the kitchen through the floo late, roughly around 3am. She sighed heavily and brushed the soot off of her black skirt and greeted Sirius and Draco in happy surprise.

"Good God, what are you two doing up so late?" Hermione asked, trying to fix her hair. "Is there a special occasion?" She nodded to their whiskey between them.

Sirius smiled up at her and stood to give her a hug. "No, love. We're just drinking and talking about our newest case."

Draco stood to join them as well and let his hand rest on Hermione's lower back and led her out of the kitchen. She questioned him of his plans, but he shook his head and ignored her. He and Sirius led her upstairs and she followed confusedly, wondering what they had in store for her.

They crossed the house and she saw a familiar door ahead of her and she looked back and forth to the two large men leading her. She saw the mischievous glints in their eyes and immediately started struggling. They laughed at her unease and Sirius quickly pulled her tight to his chest, keeping her flailing arms and legs still. He carried her to the room and nodded to Draco, who threw the door open with a bang and Sirius tossed her into the room.

They immediately shut the door behind her, sealing it with their wands and they nodded to each other cheerfully. They went back down the stairs to return to the kitchen and resumed their drinking and chatting.

* * *

Hermione let out a loud growl of frustration and picked herself up off the floor. She struggled to gain purchase in the pitch-black room, bumping into an end table with a small yelp.

She heard a heavy breath a few feet from her and froze in place. She stared unseeing into the darkness; completely aware of whom it was that was asleep in that bed. She toed closer to the door and felt around for her wand but cursed when she remembered that it was in her purse that was down in the kitchen. She felt the door to try and find the handle, but cursed again when she felt it jammed in place.

She then crept closer to Remus' bed, hoping to find his wand on his bedside table. She was careful to be quiet, remembering that the full moon was close and his senses would be heightened.

She cursed again when she banged her toe on his table, her hands searching desperately for his wand to free herself, but a hand wrapped around her wrist suddenly and she found herself yanked into the warm bed.

She cried out in surprise when she was pulled in and he quickly rolled them so that he was pinning her to the bed. She scrambled to escape his grip but he growled lowly, pulled her legs up around his waist and kept her hands up by her ears with his. Remus pulled back after the scuffle and met her eyes confidently.

Correction: Moony met her eyes confidently.

Hermione gulped when she met his gold eyes. "Oh shit." She cursed softly. Her years of study flashed through her mind, urging herself to remember something useful from the numerous books and texts she'd read about werewolves.

She had nothing.

No books went into what techniques were suitable when pinned down by an angry, sleepy werewolf. She supposed she could use silver, but she didn't want to anger him more or damage him permanently. She decided that her best option was submitting and letting him calm down instead of riling him further.

While she ran over her options, Remus fought the wolf inside his own head. Moony desperately wanted to strip her down and surge into her warmth, but he knew that it was too soon. Hermione was not ready for a relationship, especially one as intense as Remus was sure theirs would be. Remus knew what he wanted, and it was she. But he wanted to wait for her to heal from her failed relationship with Ron, and he needed time for her to warm up to the idea of Sirius and Draco. He knew that he was not the only man in the house that desired her, and he wanted to be considerate of all of these factors.

Moony was not as thoughtful. All Moony saw was her heaving chest, the pale skin revealed by her yanked up skirt, her smooth, delicious smelling neck. He permitted himself one deep inhale of her scent, but Moony took advantage of the liberty and pulled her hips closer to grind into her firmly.

Hermione whimpered quietly when she felt Remus between her thighs again. She never thought he would be there even once, let alone twice. She idly hoped that this would become a habit, somewhere deep in her psyche.

She shook off her desire and reached out when her hand was freed to turn on the light.

The sudden brightness of the room snapped Remus out of his trance, and he sat back on his knees and ran his hands over his face roughly. He cursed loudly, and Hermione felt a strong throb between her thighs at the lewd language coming from such a straight-laced man.

Remus hardened immediately when he sensed her arousal and he found himself grinding mindlessly against her again. He fell forward onto his forearms and let his mouth latch onto Hermione's smooth neck, basking in the quiet mewls he pulled from her. Hermione's hands shook slightly when she drew them up his chest, but she quickly gained confidence and threw caution to the wind when he bit decisively into her skin.

She moaned loudly at the bite, surprised that the small sting made her so wet so swiftly. Remus felt like he was losing his mind.

"Dear Godric, Hermione. You need to tell me if you want to stop now, because I don't think I can stop myself if we keep going." Remus groaned into her skin, letting his fingers dig into the soft flesh of her bottom.

Hermione moaned again and pulled him closer. She reached down to stroke his swell, smiling when she felt him stiffen and his efforts renew in heightened passion.

Remus picked her up and swung them around, settling her on his lap and he tore off her shirt. He threw it, uncaring of where it went or what it knocked over. He let his lips slide down her throat to bury his face in her cleavage and he pulled her bra down slightly to lick her nipples. Hermione whimpered and moaned loudly, letting Remus pull her skirt up above her bottom and he squeezed her bottom while rhythmically thrusting up against her.

The door swung open with a loud bang, but Remus continued, lost in her softness and warm. Hermione was too distracted by the low growls Remus continually released, but was suddenly pulled off of Remus and thrown over a thick, strong shoulder.

"What the fuck?" Hermione cried out, dizzy from the sudden movement and unhappy to be pulled away from the strong, sexy man in the bed. She heard a scuffle behind her and heard Sirius trying to calm Remus while Moony determinedly tried to get to her.

She realized that the man who was carrying her started to walk into the hallway, and she squinted at the bright light to notice his white blond hair.

"Draco?" She cried out, humiliated to be caught without her shirt and her skirt pulled up so high. She couldn't help but notice that he made no move to cover her exposed areas, and her arousal was still incredibly present. Her chest was flushed bright red and she was sure that she was sporting at least a few deep purple marks on her neck and chest.

"Yes, Granger?" She could hear his smirk in his smug voice.

"What the fuck is going on?" She cried out, thumping her hands against his back and trying to get him to release her.

"Sirius and I heard you guys getting ready to fuck," Hermione's face flushed an impossible purplish red color, "and we knew we had to stop you from falling under the pull."

"The pull?" She tried to turn her head around, but her position was impossible.

"Yeah, Remus can't control Moony when it's this close to the full moon. He would've ended up fucking you six ways to Sunday and then making us all miserable from his guilt, so we figured we'd stop things before they got too far." Draco gave her butt a light swat and chuckled. "You seemed quite into it, didn't you? Little minx." He laughed at her cry of outrage.

Sirius came and joined them in the hallway. "I couldn't get him to calm down, so I just stunned him and dumped him in his bed." He shrugged, and then raised his eyebrow to Draco. "You going to let her down, mate?" He winked at Draco and laughed when he was finally faced with a disheveled, upright Hermione.

Hermione's mouth fell open and her face was still incredibly red. She had no idea what to say to her roommates after being yanked out of a man's bed. Especially when that man was Remus.

"Have a good time, kitten?" Sirius grinned down at her. "I like the black lace." He nodded to her bra and she huffed angrily. She stormed off to her room and flung the door closed, but not before turning around to give the men an incredibly rude gesture.

* * *

Hermione and Remus fell back into their usual pattern of friendship following that night. Remus came to her the next day and apologized fervently. They laughed it off together, but both felt slightly unsatisfied with the return to purely platonic rapport.

Hermione's sexual frustration grew to an impossible height after her close call with Remus. She found herself soaking wet whenever her roommates were near. She couldn't focus on her work and she was waking up at all hours of the night from her incredibly realistic but filthy dreams. The men rotated as the lead role in her dreams, and she even had one where the four of them were together. She was so disheveled after the dream that she had to take two showers to get the scent of her arousal out of the air.

Hermione started working later into the night to avoid the dreams, spending her nights in the library after her roommates had gone to sleep. She often fell asleep on her notes and woke up with ink stains on her cheeks.

Sirius watched her often, displeased with her efforts to distance herself from them. He didn't know about the dreams, but he understood that she was withdrawing and he couldn't let that happen.

Sirius waited until she fell asleep and then decided that he had had enough. Between her and Remus' awkwardness and her complete withdrawal, Sirius was getting incredibly impatient and he needed to feel her close to him again. He stalked into the room silently, gently pulled her off of her desk and picked her up in his arms. He threw her legs over his elbows and held her back in the other arm, tucking her head into the nook of neck.

His heart squeezed when he felt her give a small sigh in comfort. He smiled genuinely and walked her back to his room.

* * *

Hermione woke up to a delicious masculine smell. She blearily blinked awake, confused at the warmth and comfort she felt, as she was certain that she had been working late in the library again. She tried to lift her head to look around, but a heavy arm that lay across her waist kept her still.

Hermione's eyes shot open with renewed clarity and she tried to pull away sharply from Sirius' broad frame. She turned to her head to face him when he tightened his grip, but his dark stormy eyes were already locked on her.

His hair was more disheveled than she had ever seen it, but in a charming, intimate way. His stubble was dark and made his cheeks appear more defined and accentuated the contrast of the blue in his eyes.

"How did I get here?" She grumbled, relaxing when she realized that she was fully clothed. She pulled the sheet up to cover her mouth and prevent her morning breath from reaching him.

He rolled onto his back and pulled her close to his side. She rested her head on his bare chest and felt warmth blossom in her chest at their perfect fit. He stroked her hair soothingly and kissed her forehead.

He pulled her hand up to play with her fingers and gently kissed her wrists. Her core pulsed at the gentle intimacy and her heart throbbed as this beautiful man doted on her.

"No more sleeping in the library, alright?" He held her eyes resolutely. She smiled slightly and nodded, tucking her head back into his embrace and drifting back to sleep.

Sirius had no idea when she had become such a fixture in his life, but he knew that he would need to grow a thicker skin. This small fiery woman had burrowed her way into his life and he found that any day without her presence was automatically a bad day. He'd never felt this determined to keep a woman in his life before, save his surrogate sister, Lily Potter nee Evans.

His bond with Lily was intense, but familial. His link to Hermione left him reeling. He could imagine himself being with her in a way that he could never imagine being with anyone else, and he didn't even mind Remus and Draco's attraction to her. He was a selfish man when it came to his desires, passionate in all of his pursuits and determined to have what he wanted.

He understood Remus' desire to wait, but he was greedy. He couldn't help but take what he could get, and right now, he was content to have Hermione sleeping innocently in his bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione sat hunched against the counter, staring into her firewhiskey and ignoring the messy locks of hair that continually fell into her face. She rolled the tumbler in her hand, curving her wrist gently and watching the amber liquid swirl in the smoky dark light of the bar.

She wondered when her life had become so complicated. Things seemed so much easier when she had a defined path.

Save the world with Harry Potter, be with Ron, marry Ron, become a housewife, have Ron's children, support Ron, die. The only alternative path she ever considered was the possibility that Harry would not succeed in vanquishing Voldemort, and that path was ever more simple: death.

She thought back to Ron, eager to remember a time when her life was not such a complicated mess.

* * *

 _I'm in love for the first time,_

 _Don't you know it's going to last?_

 _It's a love that lasts forever,_

 _It's a love that has no past._

 _Three Days After the Battle of Hogwarts (Six Years Ago)_

 _The door slammed open, hands in a flurry as Hermione pulled Ron into the bedroom, smiling all the way. Hermione slid her mouth down his neck, biting lightly at him. He laughed and pushed her to the bed, throwing off her shirt as they went._

 _Hermione grabbed him by his belt, pulling him on top of her and throwing his shirt off to savor the feeling of skin to skin. She lightly tongued his freckles on his collarbone, smirking when he shivered lightly against her. He smiled widely, kicking off his pants and tugging hers off from the ankles. They were both blushing brightly, thrilled with exhilaration and anticipation._

 _The world was theirs. There was no jealousy of past lovers, no question of their love or loyalty and no pain of the fights soon to come. Their love was pure. It was whole. She was whole._

 _In that moment, nothing mattered. It didn't matter that he was going to cheat on her, that he would hit her, that she wouldn't be able to submit to his desires for her life, that she would leave him._

 _Nothing mattered._

* * *

She missed that insular bubble where everything was okay. Hermione sipped from her firewhiskey, grimacing at the burn running down her chest. She looked down at the glass, lightly fingering the lip of the tumbler.

Sirius always said her eyes reminded him of firewhiskey.

* * *

 _Nobody ever loved me like she does,_

 _Oh she does, yeah she does._

 _And if somebody loved me like she do me_

 _Oh, she do me, yes, she does._

 _Grimmauld Place (Four Days Ago)_

 _Hermione sat in the library late at night, leaning her head into her palm and fighting off sleep. She felt so warm and cozy, wrapped in a soft throw from the couch. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun, her glasses almost falling off the tip of her nose and her large shirt slipped over a dainty and pale shoulder. Her fingers were dotted with black ink and her legs were curled up under her in the chair._

 _She shook her head gently, hoping to wake herself so she could continue working. Her research wasn't due for another few weeks, but she wanted to have it done with plenty of time to adjust her findings. She scratched her cheek and yawned delicately._

" _I told you to stop staying up so late."_

 _Hermione's head turned to see him, his broad dark form leaning against an antique doorframe. His stormy blue eyes were fixed on her, his expression nonchalant and relaxed, but his eyes exposed his passions._

 _She fidgeted slightly in her seat; uncomfortable with the heat and attention he was aiming at her. She tucked a wayward lock behind her ear and stood up, lightly shuffling her papers and trying to organize things slightly before he ushered her to bed._

" _I had some work to do, Sirius." She replied._

 _Sirius walked over to her, his tall frame towering over her slender one. She stiffened, her exhaustion taking the form of irritability and she fought the urge to snap at him. She absolutely detested people who commanded things of her, especially men. This instinct exaggerated by her lack of sleep._

 _Sirius laid a hand gently on her shoulder, but she felt suffocated and stifled. "Listen, kitten. I know that you're job is important, but you really should be sleeping more. This research is not time-sensitive. Stop staying up so late." His words started out tender but his last statement felt far too close to an order._

 _She snapped._

" _Sirius, I don't have to be a bloody auror for my job to be important." Hermione bit, turning away from him to sit back down at her desk. She had been ready to head up to bed, but now she wanted to fight._

 _She had been so confused about Sirius and Remus and so tired from her whole ordeal with Ron, and she really just needed a win._

" _What are you talking about, Hermione?" Sirius frowned, trying to pull Hermione back from her desk to meet her eye but she determinedly stared at the desk. She resisted and he put his hands on the back of her chair, swinging her around to face him._

 _She continued to give him the silent treatment and he found his temper quickly escalating past his control. He stood staring down at her, his arms crossed over his chest and his normally friendly face turned down in a deep glower._

" _Hermione, what the fuck is wrong with you? You know that I think your job is important. Why are you being so bloody difficult?" He squatted down to face her, but she stubbornly refused. "Well, okay. I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm tired so you can just talk whenever you're ready." He growled and Hermione felt a surge of satisfaction at his admission of defeat._

 _Her pleasure was cut off sharply when he pulled out his wand and immobilized her._

 _She let out a loud squeak and her eyes were comically wide. Sirius let out a dark chuckle and threw her over his shoulder, walking proudly to his room. She continued to let out muffled shouts and miniscule wiggles, but his spell held firm and her exhaustion was prohibiting her from using nonverbal magic._

 _Sirius kicked the door of his room open and strode across to his large bed, tossing her down onto the soft white sheets. She laid there, still frozen and unable to look away as Sirius pulled off his shirt._

 _The long muscles of his back coiled and shifted in the dim light, scars stretched across his skin and tattoos decorated his shoulders and back. Her mouth watered, but she blamed it on her mouth being open when she was immobilized. She couldn't help but want to lick the pale spaces between his tattoos. His experience tempted her. He walked back to the bed, put his hands down and paused to look down at her._

 _She admired the dimples and dips of his shoulders and collarbones, her mouth begging to slid up his skin and discover whether he tasted as good as he looked. His dark hair contrasted his pale skin, his aristocratic features warmed by the mischievous grin on his face. Her eyes fell to his lips, approving of his smooth white teeth and plush lips._

 _His mouth opened and she snapped out of her trance._

" _Are you ready to be released, kitten?" He grinned when she let out a muffled yet undeniably affirmative shout, "Oh no? I guess I could let you stay like this if that's what you wanted…" He smirked, his eyes glinting with flirtation. He dropped his head down to her exposed shoulder, letting his nose run the trail of her soft collarbone and neck. "You smell delicious, love."_

 _Her face flushed bright red and she whimpered, his closeness bringing his dark woodsy scent with a hint of something darker. He was warm and firm and her body answered his call, an insistent ache throbbing between her thighs. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. When his eyes opened, his pupils were large and his mouth curled into a satisfied smile._

 _He rolled off of her and released his spell. She lay there for a moment, her mind reeling from the combined arousal and exhaustion._

 _She turned her head and met his dark eyes. They glinted with the promise of something deep, something that frightened her, something that thrilled her. He waited for her to decide whether or not to stay, determined to make her decide. That way she would not be able to blame this on him, as she had their first night together._

 _She met his eyes cautiously and tentatively reached her hand out to cup his cheek. She ran her fingers over his stubble unhurriedly. His eyes were firm but reverent and he tugged her closer to his side._

* * *

There were so many reasons that Sirius and Hermione would never work. He was temperamental, promiscuous and damaged. Their friendship was intimate, but they could have vicious fights and have issues seeing eye to eye.

Sirius was fire. He was intense, argumentative and unfamiliar with commitment. How did she know that he wouldn't just take her for a night and then see her as a notch on his bedpost? What if he was repulsed by her inexperience or unimpressed by her lack of finesse?

Hermione shook her head and motioned for another shot. While waiting for the bartender, she thought about the more lupine man of her home.

* * *

 _And from the first time that she really done me_

 _Oh, she done me, she done me good._

 _I guess nobody ever really done me,_

 _Oh, she done me, she done me good._

 _Grimmauld Place (Three Mornings Ago)_

 _The full moon was tonight, and Remus was clearly slipping. She knew that Draco and Sirius had been doing there part to keep Hermione clear of the wolf, but she didn't know whether they were afraid of the wolf pushing Remus to make her feel pain or pleasure. Ever since their encounter a few days ago, Hermione felt herself getting hot and bothered around him and she found herself needing to take long walks to soothe her aching thighs._

 _Hermione could hear the low growl emanating from Remus' chest whenever she came near. She played it off as humorous or cute, but she knew that she wasn't fooling anyone._

 _She woke up with Sirius this morning, knowing from their weeks living together that he wouldn't wake for many hours and that she was better off slipping out early. She straightened out her outfit and left his room, stopping in hers to grab her toothbrush and an outfit. She made a quick stop in the bathroom to freshen up and get dressed and then went to the kitchen._

 _She spotted Remus sitting at the table in the kitchen, buried in a thick book. She hesitated in the archway, unsure of whether or not to enter without Draco or Sirius. She shook her head after a moment, reminding herself that she didn't need protection from anybody. She could handle herself._

 _With this confidence in mind, she strode confidently to the cabinets and gathered the makings for her breakfast. She threw a typical morning greeting to him, hoping to be casual although she knew he could hear her heartbeat accelerate._

 _She couldn't help it. She'd been without him for a few days and while she knew it was just 'the pull' that Sirius and Draco mentioned, it was very tempting. She couldn't help but notice a pale pink scar trailing down from behind his ear to end underneath his collar, and she was drawn to trace it with her tongue._

" _Damn, what is it with tongues, lately?" She muttered to herself, clashing two pans together due to her preoccupation._

 _Remus' ears perked at the mention of a tongue. His eyebrow raised and he turned to her, her heart speeding up and she realized that she had gravely underestimated his power over her._

" _What about tongues, love?" He smirked, his eyes half blue and half amber. He closed his book with a subtle snap._

 _Hermione blushed dark red and tucked a hair behind her ear. "Oh, nothing, Remus. I didn't realize that I was thinking out loud." She pushed herself to focus on her cooking and not bypassing breakfast to devour him instead. "Goddamnit, what is wrong with me?" She muttered again, and this time, Remus pretended not to hear her._

 _Remus decided to turn back to his reading, but he realized belatedly that he was already standing. He fought to gain control over himself, but things quickly went downhill and he found himself taking the backseat._

 _Moony stood tall with his head cocked, watching Hermione with interest. She noted the different color in his eyes and changed her mind about cooking. She turned sharply, and began returning things to their respective cabinets. He watched her reach high to the cabinets above her, smiling at her going up onto her tiptoes. She was adorable._

 _He savored the view she made while bending down to put away the pots and marched towards her when she made to leave. He pushed his front against her back, savoring her soft curves and he buried his nose in the nape of her neck._

 _Hermione yelped quietly at his sudden presence, but her research on canines kicked in and she stayed calm. Fighting him would only further rile him._

 _He pulled her hair back from her ear and licked a steady line from shoulder to earlobe. His hand came up to grab her hip tightly and he delighted in her light moan and ground his growing hardness into her bottom._

" _Fucking hell, love. You taste delicious." Hermone's heart stuttered at the similarity to her experience with Sirius the night before, and she felt her stomach drop. She moved away from him and spun around to push him away, but he pushed her back into the cabinets again._

" _Remus, I-I'm sorry but I can't." She tried to remain firm, but his woodsy and dark scent surrounded her and made her knees shake. She yearned to wrap her legs around his waist and feel him over her, but she knew that she needed to focus on being independent again. She was already frustrated because she planned on being single for a year or so, but she already needed to figure out what was happening with Sirius. She hated when things didn't go according to plan._

 _Remus picked her up by her hips and slammed her on the counter behind them, swiftly separating her legs and stepping in between them. He yanked her core closer to his and cupped the back of her head in the palm of his large hands, forcing her to look him in the eye._

" _You think that I don't know what you're thinking?" He whispered gruffly, "You think I can't smell him all over you?" He growled, the vibrations travelling down her skin to settle deep in her womanhood. Hermione gasped, completely clueless as to what to do with a jealous, very aroused werewolf. She slowly reached for her wand, hoping to catch him by surprise._

 _Her hope was dashed when he snatched the wand out of her back pocket, throwing it over his shoulder. He let one of his hands slip from behind her head to rest on her throat, not squeezing tightly, but firmly enough to maintain her attention._

" _I don't care that you've been cuddling up to the dog, love." His smirk was confident and self-assured. "I know that it's my name that you'll be screaming when I'm buried inside of you." Hermione's eyes went wide and she froze. He grinned wolfishly and thrust against her shallowly. "What, you thought that I would be 'sweet and kind Remus?' You thought that I would be docile and let you walk all over me?" He gripped her neck tighter and kissed her hard. "I am not a little boy. I am a man. And I will have you."_

 _He released her suddenly, his eyes returning to their natural blue-green color and he stared at her. He was still in between her legs, but he stared at her and it was clear that there was a completely different identity in front of her._

" _Hermione," Remus' voice reached for her, but he retreated physically. She blinked blankly back at him._

 _Hermione hopped off the counter and looked up at him, analyzing the fear and apprehension in his eyes. She stepped closer._

" _Don't apologize." She glared at him. Remus' mouth opened, but she put her hand against his lips._

" _What?" He gaped, his stomach fluttering with poisoned butterflies when he assumed that he had disgusted her._

" _I don't know what is happening between us, but don't you fucking apologize, Remus Lupin." Hermione glared up at him, before storming out the door._

* * *

Remus wasn't right for her either, she decided. He was too apologetic and unable to reconcile his lupine side with his human side. She didn't know how to make it work with one entirely human man, how could she make it work with his two personas?

She supposed that that idea wasn't fair, but her issue wasn't with his condition, it was with his inability to accept himself that gave her pause.

Hermione got up, swaying side to side with tipsiness and made her way to the floo. She knew that she wasn't sober enough to apparate, so she dug out a handful of powder and threw it into the fire with a shout. She disappeared into the green flames with a drunken giggle.

* * *

Sirius, Draco and Remus were sitting in the parlor, waiting for Hermione to come home. They were sitting together under the pretense of a friendly drink by the fire, but they all knew why they were there.

Hermione rarely went out alone in the weeks that she lived with them, and the house felt empty without her warming presence. Sirius missed her in his bed, and Remus missed her scent. The past three nights she went out straight from work, coming home very late with the stench of firewhiskey thick around her.

A loud giggle startled them out of their conversation, and they turned just in time to see a drunken Hermione fall out of the floo.

Sirius and Remus leapt to her aid, each taking an arm and pulling her to her feet, but she swayed nauseously and shook out of their grasp.

"No!" She shouted, pointing at each of them. "I will not be rescued like some –hic- some damsel!" She growled, and Remus and Sirius raised their hands in defense.

"Hermione-" Sirius and Remus began, trying to calm her down, but she was further incensed.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Hermione pushed Sirius' chest, then shouted at Remus. "Why are you both so confusing?" She growled, displeased when Draco nudged his way between his two confused roommates and gathered Hermione in his arms.

He tossed her knees over his elbow and tucked her head into the crook of his neck, commanding her to be silent before sweeping her up the stares and to her room. He distantly heard Remus and Sirius calling for Hermione, but she weakly fought him for only a moment before falling asleep in his arms.

He smiled down at her, enjoying the drunken flush on her cheeks and her disheveled state. He had planned on throwing her callously into bed, but she was too peaceful and he couldn't make himself do it.

He gently set her on the bed, pulling the covers over her and left. Remus and Sirius were waiting for him outside the door, wanting to check up on her condition.

"Is she alright?" "Why was she so upset?" "Is she too drunk? Did you put her on her side in case she vomits?" "Oh gross, Remus, what the fuck?" "It's a muggle medical technique, Sirius, shut up!"

Draco massaged his temples while they bickered in front of him, opening his mouth a few times to answer questions, but he quickly lost his patience.

The former Slytherin ignored his concerned roommates while they followed him with questions, and he threw his door open and shut it in their faces.

* * *

Lyrics are from "Don't Let Me Down" by The Beatles. Let me know who you're shipping, I'm trying to decide where to go with this. Thanks and goodnight!


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione sat with her feet dangling over the ledge of her window, a cigarette lazily hanging lightly between her middle and index fingers. A thin trail of smoke rose from the tip. She took a deep drag, tilted her head back and released the puff. She brought up a thumb to brush her lip, tapping the cigarette against the windowsill to break up the ashes with her other hand. Her pale shoulder stood out against her dark hair, and her pink painted toes hung against the timeworn bricks of the house's façade.

Down on the street, the light rain made the pavement shimmer. A street lamp flickered in the fog. The quiet sounds of cars on distant streets were the only interruption to Hermione's thoughts, and she wasn't sure if the silence made her mind feel more still or wild.

Hermione took another pull from the cigarette and rested her head against the window's frame. Her thoughts drifted to the men inside the house, and she felt her moment of relief grow sour.

Since returning home drunk the day before, the men gave her a wide berth and she found her frustrations swelling with nowhere to go. They seemed to believe they had upset her in some way and were trying to give her space to cool off. They took her very seriously and were not looking to inspire her wrath. Her hexes and curses had bite. They understood that.

She knew that she needed an outlet for her anger soon; otherwise she would continue to succumb to her vices of smoking and drinking. She would rather indulge in substances than face her men, unsure where her anger and lust would lead her.

If only her men were docile.

* * *

Sirius stood in the hall, his dark eyes focused on the door across from him. He leaned nonchalantly against the wainscoting, his arms crossed. His nose twitched at the smell of her cigarettes, intrigued by the discovery of her secret vice.

He pushed off the wall and opened the door silently, slipping in unnoticed by the woman in the window. He observed her for a few minutes, taking in her authentic and vulnerable state.

Her fair legs were uncovered as she was only wearing a flannel button up. Dark hair tumbled down her back, wild and disheveled by the wind and slight drizzle of the damp night. He could see her neck and upper shoulder bared by the wide neck of the shirt and a thin white scar forked, scarcely visible against her light skin. He wondered where she had gotten it.

His gaze darkened when he noted the scars had appeared on her skin in the few hours since he had last seen her. The most visible mark was a particularly macabre crescent behind her ear.

He walked up to her, careful to remain undetected for another moment. He took in the slight blueness underneath her eyes and the pallid tone of her skin. She wasn't sleeping nearly enough, and drinking far too much. He gathered himself and reached past her to pull a cigarette from the pack by her thigh.

"Got a light?" He asked, his voice low and quiet. She started slightly but did not take long to recover. She flicked her thumb, a small flame lighting above the tip. He nodded his appreciation.

They sat in tense silence for a few minutes, Hermione cursing herself for forgetting her glamour, even while solitary. Sirius fought to control his rage but lost the battle. He had never been a patient or easily controllable man.

"So you wear a glamour every day, then?" His words were light, but his intent was clear and heavy. She sat, mute, taking another drag from the cigarette and avoiding a response.

Sirius sat, waiting for her to respond. The silence was physical and unyielding. Hermione was exhausted. She knew that Sirius' tenacity would be unrelenting, and she couldn't bring herself to fight him.

"Sirius, please just leave it alone." She muttered. Neither of them sought eye contact, both watching the unvaried street below.

"Are they recent?" He questioned, ignoring her request. She sighed.

"No." She submitted.

"From the war?" He took a deep pull from the cigarette.

"Yeah." She nodded, still refusing to turn away from the innocuous street. She felt Sirius turn towards her. He reached out with a steady hand, letting his fingers lightly trace the white branches on her shoulder.

"What is this from?" His voice was rough but his tension was not transferred by his touch. She shivered at the gentle lines he drew.

"Running from snatchers. Got hit by a stray spell from behind." She swallowed uncomfortably and pulled her collar up, moving away from Sirius. She spun on the sill, bringing her legs back into the room. She walked away from him, hoping he would understand her discomfort and retreat, but he was unrelenting. He slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her back to his front and his long fingers slipped her collar back down to reveal her upper back again.

"This looks like it was painful. Does it ever flare up?" He inspected the mark, ignoring the goosebumps that rose in response to his wandering.

His gentle touching addled Hermione's mind, her lustful impulses returning with a vengeance. She struggled to keep her mind from going blank and submitting to her bodily desires, and cleared her throat.

"Sirius, get off of me." She remained stiff in his arms, but melted when his lips traced her sensitive flesh. She bit back a whimper.

"Is it still sensitive?" His deep voice vibrated through her and she felt herself heating up irrepressibly. "Do you know what spell was used?"

Her head lolled to the side when his lips trailed further to the nape of her neck and behind her ear.

"Kitten," her core throbbed, "are you going to answer me?" Hermione was dazed, his wild scent enveloping her and lulling her into submission. She distantly remembered that she should respond, but she couldn't bring herself to make a noise.

"Sirius," she finally gasped, "what are you doing?" She struggled to keep herself restrained, but her resolve was slipping. She knew this was a last ditch effort to contain herself.

Sirius' hand tightened on her hip and he pulled her closer to him with a sharp tug. His broad chest was flush with her back and she could feel his arousal growing against the curve of her bottom. His rough stubble rasped against her soft skin and she shivered, his lips traveling up her neck and he gently kissed the scar behind her ear. She moaned at the sensitivity and her head flew back to rest against him. His other hand slid up her stomach, achingly slowly and she found herself longing for it to grasp her alongside its twin.

His hand slid between her breasts, through the valley between, and came to grip her throat loosely. He held her close to him, his grip tight enough to make her gasp but not enough to place significant pressure. The dominance he exuded was intoxicating and she was soaked.

"I have no idea." He rasped in her ear, his grasp tightening as he ground mindlessly against her. "But you need to tell me if I need to stop." His voice was desperate, but his only shred of control laying in his need to protect her. Even if it be from himself and his desires.

Hermione whimpered in his arms, her back arching into him. He held her in the dark, their hearts beating hard and in sync as they breathed heavily together. She held out for a few moments, but wasn't able to resist for long. Sirius' tongue glided up her neck and she let out a feminine gasp, her eyes slamming shut.

"Please don't stop." She groaned.

Sirius froze, unable to comprehend her consent for a moment. His arousal kicked him back into action and he gripped her tighter.

In a flash, his hand tightened around her throat and he sunk his teeth into the dip where her shoulder and neck met. Her cries spurned him on and he bit her harder, furious that she had been harmed in the past, but also angry that she had hid the scars from him. Hermione's hands scrambled to find a way to touch him, but he picked her up and threw her on the bed in the middle of the room.

Hermione rose to her elbows, quickly being overtaken by Sirius' dark form. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down for a deep kiss. He groaned into her mouth, letting his palm cup her breast gently and she moaned back into him. He reveled in her softness and his other hand slipped underneath her shirt to stroke the smooth skin of her thigh.

"Holy shit," he moaned when his fingers slipped underneath her panties, dipping into her warmth. "Oh Merlin, kitten, you are so wet." Hermione's face flushed at his candid words, but she was quickly distracted when his fingers began circling her clit.

"Sirius," she gasped, her toes twitching at the pleasure. She pulled off his shirt and smirked against his shoulder when he moaned at her ministrations. She found a sensitive spot on his neck and latched on, biting hard into him as he had done to her.

He yelped and pulled away from her, meeting her eyes with surprise.

"You bit me." Hermione smirked at him.

"You bit me." She responded, leaning forward to bite him again, but he moved suddenly. She squeaked when he flipped her over and she looked over her shoulder to see his eyes glinting with dark but amused mischief.

"I'll teach you a lesson." He smirked, biting her bottom lightly before slipping her panties off of her. She felt anxious at being so exposed, and tried to move away, but he pushed down on the center of her upper back. She started and moaned loudly when his tongue dipped into her slit and licked a wet trail from clit to opening. Her fingers dug into the sheets by her head and she struggled to remain quiet, not wanting to seem to wanton. She concentrated on retaining her composure, but his efforts down below where causing her chest to flush and her toes to clench.

Her focus was interrupted by a sharp slap on her cheek and she cried out loudly. He slid a finger deep inside of her and she gasped when he hit several spots she hadn't known even existed. He pumped leisurely, sliding his tongue across her clit and alternating pressure inside and outside of her. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she bit her lip to remain quiet, but he slapped her ass hard again.

"It's not nice to hide your reactions, kitten." She could hear his proud grin, even through the fog of pleasure. She rolled her eyes at him and lifted her head to retort, but he slid another finger into her opening and she moaned at the slightest movement. He bit the inside of her thigh lightly and lapped the mark lasciviously. "Good girl. Are you ready?" He stroked his thumb against the inside of her knee, his other hand partly inside of her.

Hermione nodded heatedly, anxious to have him inside of her. "Oh God, yes, please." She wiggled her hips, hoping to entice him to enter her. He pulled away and she sighed slightly, unsure whether she felt relief or pleasure in the end of his assault.

Her reprieve was brief, however, because he returned with an increased vigor. He flipped her back onto her back and pulled a leg over his shoulder, wrapping his strong arm around her thigh to keep her spread before burying his hot mouth in her center. She fought the urge to scream when he flattened his tongue and increased the pressure on her button, sliding two fingers into her warmth and pumping hard and deep.

Hermione's back arched off the bed and she felt her vision go white momentarily, melting back into the sheets in a haze. She vaguely wondered if she had screamed, but she found herself entirely apathetic. She felt as if she was lounging in the sun on a warm day.

Sirius rose to his hands, crawling up to her to kiss her languidly. He chuckled slightly at the dazed expression on her face.

"Liked that, did you?" He smirked, his dark stormy eyes molten. She nodded, unable to speak yet. She felt hedonistic, certain that this was not the last time she would be indulging in Sirius. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her and rolling him onto his back.

Sirius went to speak again, but he released a harsh cry when Hermione slid him between her folds. His hand gripped her waist tightly, digging his fingers into her flesh as he thrust upwards involuntarily.

"Be good." She smirked down at him, slowly impaling herself on him. He tossed his head back and let out a loud groan.

"Holy fuck, kitten. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." A long string of curses fell from Sirius' lips as Hermione slowly took him deep inside of her. Hermione dug her nails into his broad chest, her fingers leaving light pink trails. She whimpered at his thickness, certain that he was the largest she had ever had, by far. She felt split.

She moved smoothly, sliding him in and out over and over again. His filthy words stroked her ego and fanned the stifling heat that threatened to swallow them whole.

"Oh God." She whispered repeatedly, her skin covered in goosebumps.

"Faster, love." Sirius begged, trying to move her harder against him, but she resisted him. She captured his wrists and pinned them beside his head, reveling in the control. She held him still, keeping the pace torturously slow and delighting in his desperation. She felt her aggression and tension pour out of her and she ground down hard into him. She gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to hasten the pace. She wanted to hear him beg.

"No." She closed her eyes and held him still. Sirius shook his head hard, trying to allow her dominance, but needing infinitely more.

"Hermione, I swear to Merlin, go faster." He groaned when she bit hard into his shoulder. He thrust up involuntarily at the pain, and she whimpered.

Her whimper caused him to lose his mind and he sat up swiftly, holding her small hands behind her in one of his. He gripped her hair hard with the other, pulling her down to kiss her possessively while thrusting fast and hard. She shook in his arms and tried to muffle her cries in his shoulder, but he growled. He fisted his hand in her hair and thrust as deeply as possible. He released her arms and let his hands dig into her bottom, seeking the best possible leverage to thrust up into her.

"I want you to fucking scream for me, kitten." He growled into her ear, and she moaned in response. He licked her neck, "I want everyone in this fucking country to hear how deep I am inside of you." She fought another cry when he ripped her shirt completely off and flicked her nipple with his tongue. "Say my fucking name, kitten. I want you to cry my name while I'm fucking you; while you're fucking me."

Hermione fought to regain control of the position, but Sirius thrust harder into her and ground himself against her. "Sirius," she whispered, "we have roommates!" She fought to keep quiet, but he laughed and groaned when she tightened around him.

"Yes, love. We do." He grinned up at her, and her eyes widened in shock before he yanked her down to him. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, keeping her pinned against him before he planted his feet on the bed and pushed even deeper at this new angle. He bottomed out and she fought the urge to scream.

"I know you want to, kitten. Fucking scream. I know how fucking good it feels. Just give into it." He licked a hot trail up her neck and she shook with the effort to keep quiet. "Just think about how good it's going to feel when you cum all over my cock." Hermione moaned, her toes clenching and her eyes screwing shut.

"Oh God, oh God!" She cried in response, her fingernails cutting into the skin of his back.

"Say it, Hermione." He held her close, feeling her tightening around him. "Say my fucking name. Scream my fucking name, before I lose my goddamn mind, Hermione." He growled into her neck, thrusting mindlessly and she finally snapped.

"Oh my fucking God, Sirius!" She screamed, repeating his name over and over again before cumming harder than she had ever done in her entire life. He groaned and cried out her name, her tightness milking him and he released up into her with a series of shudders.

She fell onto his chest, boneless and sweaty. They breathed hard together for a few minutes, and he gathered her in his arms when he finally recovered. She immediately fell asleep, her head tucked into the crook of his neck and he yawned contentedly, joining her in the abyss.

* * *

Remus and Draco sat in the drawing room beneath them, passing a bottle of firewhiskey back and forth. They rolled their eyes at Sirius' obvious impatience, but neither denied their jealousy or frustration that he had gotten to her first.

Remus met Draco's eyes, his blue eyes calm yet steady.

"In due time."


	6. Chapter 6

Sirius woke up slowly, grinning proudly when he recognized the dark curls tossed across the pillow beside him. Deep satisfaction warmed his chest. He stretched out his stiff limbs and winced when he felt the burning in muscles all across his body. His witch had tired him out last night with their little tryst. Well, he amended mentally, multiple trysts. He could recall at least three, if not four rounds.

He turned to face her, letting a large hand gently tuck her hair behind her ear. He languidly allowed his palm to caress her cheek and appreciated this moment. He knew that she wouldn't be only his for long, and he wanted to take advantage of their time alone.

 _Speaking of time alone_ , he smirked at the thought.

Hermione was wearing one of Sirius' old button-down shirts, but he quickly made it past the fastenings. He deftly slipped the buttons loose and his mouth began to water as the long strip of soft, pale skin was revealed.

Hermione sighed slightly, but showed no sign of waking. Sirius let his fingers lightly lift the edges of shirt, drawing the pads of his fingers closer to her nipples. His eyes darkened when her nipples pebbled and gooseflesh followed his path. He slowly lowered his head to her chest, nuzzling her breasts with his cheek but still careful to not scratch her with his morning scruff.

She moaned quietly when he circled her nipple with his tongue and he felt himself harden in response. He reveled in her sea of soft smooth skin. He kept his affections light in efforts to let her sleep as long as possible.

He let his fingers travel down to her panties, amused that she sought out a fresh pair after their wild night together. She should've known that these would be ruined like the others. He let out a quiet groan when his fingers slid through her hot velvet, his cock aching to be wrapped in her tight embrace once again.

Sirius gently peeled off her panties, moving her legs as slowly as possible. He kissed her ankles softly, then her calves, knees and thighs before letting them fall open. He slid up her body, deciding it was time to wake her.

He let his elbows fall to the side of her head, his hips keeping her thighs spread. He kept his weight on his forearms and gave her a warm, affectionate kiss. Hermione started slightly, but matched his smile when he pulled back.

Hermione blinked tiredly but happily, her head still foggy with sleep.

"Good morning, Sirius." She smiled, letting her hand come up to stroke his shoulder sincerely.

"Good morning, kitten." He grinned, and she tilted her head at his mischievously crooked grin.

"What are you smiling abou-" Her question was halted sharply when he slid deep inside of her, her head flinging back into the lush pillows and she let out a deep moan.

Sirius let out a deep groan to answer hers; tucking his head into her shoulder and letting his hands travel down to grip her bottom securely. He held her wide, pumping deep inside of her and she felt as if she would mold to him permanently if they kept up at this rate for too long. She let out a series of high-pitched whimpers and her hands scrambled for something to ground her in this world when he was so assuredly pounding her into the next.

He held himself deep but kept the pace slow. Unlike the prior night, where he let his lust overtake him and let himself get wild, he wanted to take his time. He had to make sure she craved him, needed him, and dreamt of him.

"How does it feel, love?" His voice was gravel in her ear, and he knew she was past the point of responding but he wanted to drive this point home. She let out a high moan and kissed up his neck as a response. "How does it feel to know that it's me, Sirius _fucking_ Black, that is this deep inside of you?" She moaned feverishly, digging her nails into his back.

"That's it, baby. Get lost." He let his hips swirl hypnotically while driving her further into madness. "Get lost in me while I get lost in you, love. God," he grabbed her hips tighter, "you feel so fucking good. You're so beautiful, Hermione." Her eyes flew open at her given name, and he kissed her deeply.

"Sirius, I-" Hermione felt herself lost in waves of pleasure, struggling to keep her nails from cutting into him too much but unable to focus on her extremities enough to make a difference. "God, Sirius, it's too much. I can't… I can't…" Hermione's head thrashed from side to side and she fought the throbbing inside her core.

Sirius drew a hand up to her face and cupped her cheek gently. He slowed his rhythm to give her an earnest and heartfelt kiss. Hermione's heart seized, feeling too full from the adoration Sirius poured into her. She felt as if it would burst in a mess of blood and affection. Her face flushed bright red when he pulled back to catch her eyes with his.

He let their fingers intertwine and they existed in this moment palm-to-palm, chest-to-chest, eye-to-eye. She felt their hearts beat in synchronicity. The moment slid by like syrup.

Their eyes held strong when he began to speed up, deep growls emitting from his chest while she whimpered and moaned beneath him. He drove them both to ecstasy, letting out at loud whimper himself when she curved her hips just right and tightened herself around him. They felt the pleasure build in deep pulls, stars bursting behind their eyes when they finally came together. The pleasure dug deep into her chest and flooded her veins and arteries. It now lived endless inside of her.

She basked in the sunny warmth as she and Sirius curled into each other, boneless in their pleasure. They caught their breath; silent in their observance of the profound moment they had both just experienced.

He held her close, and his hand gently stroked her back. She tucked her head further into him and laid a tender kiss on his neck.

* * *

Remus breathed in the scent of worn books, closing his eyes to savor the calmness of the storeroom. He felt the quiet ambiance pacifying him, uncoiling the tension in his shoulders and relaxing even the infinitesimal fibers between his knuckles.

Sirius and Draco had been gone for only a few days but it felt like weeks. Without them, Grimmauld Place stood with a certain stillness that inflicted unease upon both Hermione and Remus. They elected to spend the entirety of their week together in the bookstore they owned in Diagon Alley, waiting for their roommates return in unspoken comradery.

Sirius and Draco were not able to explain much of their mission due to its covert nature. Sirius was quick to reassure them that it was not likely to be dangerous, simply diplomatically sensitive and requiring the utmost confidentiality. He hinted that they would be investigating somewhere deep in Eastern Europe, but even his characteristically disobedient nature could not prompt him to issue any more details.

Needing to travel for missions was not uncommon for the two Black heirs, but something about this assignment felt different. Hermione and Remus both felt an unpleasant itch beneath their consciousness, stubbornly tapping at the corners of their awareness.

This worry was not new to Remus, having lived with Draco and Sirius throughout their many years as Aurors and dangerous expeditions, but he felt discontented by Hermione's response. He recognized she had experienced just as much, if not more, risk during the War, but she refused to abide by Remus' approved methods of worry. He would have understood anxiety, stress or irritation, but Hermione existed in tense solitude. She kept her head down and avoided him, putting an end to their affectionate nights in the library due to the absence of their two roommates. He knew that she was calmed by touch, warmth and fondness, but she withdrew from him more and more with each passing day. He could see the stiffness in her stride, the purple haze settling underneath her eyes and pallor spreading across her typically lively cheeks.

Hermione, on the other hand, was wrought with worry. She understood the covert nature of Sirius and Draco's mission, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was not quite right. She felt further unsettled due to her and Sirius' informal relationship, unfamiliar with the lack of exclusivity and foggy boundaries. She knew that she was important to him, the two having been close since she rescued him in her Third Year, but they fought often and his unpredictable nature made him a perilous partner. She couldn't help but feel insecure when faced with the astounding gap between their levels of sexual experience.

Her worries were intensified by her troubling attraction to Remus. While Sirius had not demanded exclusivity before leaving, she couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach when Remus looked her way. Her fingers itched to run through his soft ashy hair and his deep blue eyes drew her in like a riptide pulling her under wave after wave. She couldn't resist admiring his large rough hands when they held the spines of old texts, the broadness of his shoulders and the ripples in the lean muscles of his upper back. She yearned to feel him close to her again; unable to forget the feel of his talented tongue on her breasts the last full moon. She hadn't intended on falling into bed with Sirius, but she was firm in her convictions to stay faithful to him while he was away. While Remus may have made her thighs shake and her skin tingle, she couldn't allow herself to succumb to her desires.

She resolved to gain distance between herself and the werewolf. She avoided the Black Family Library and other common areas of the house. She took showers late at night to avoid his morning route. Every minute she could be away from him, she was.

Remus and the wolf, in the meantime, were finally united about something. They needed Hermione's touch, her companionship and her love. Only a few days had gone by since he had last had her in his grasp, but he felt himself going mad with longing. He missed her light, feminine scent, the way she sighed when she fell asleep, her dark eyes that would glaze over with lust. He remembered the taste of her skin and the sounds of her moans. Thoughts of her invaded his mind relentlessly and he felt as if he would explode from the sexual repression.

His heart leapt up to his throat when she entered the store that morning, carrying two cups of hot cocoa and a small bag of pumpkin bread. She smiled at him cautiously, set the food before him on the counter and unwrapped her scarf. Remus' mouth watered when he was assaulted by the sudden burst of her enchanting fragrance and he dug his long fingers into the wood counter between them in an effort to keep himself from digging them into her. He kept his expression nonchalant and nodded to her in greeting.

"Good morning, Hermione. Thanks for breakfast." He smiled, turning back to speak with a few customers that lingered in the nonfiction section in the back.

Hermione realized after he left that she was smiling unknowingly and she forced her mouth to fall back into a neutral position. She shook her head and reprimanded herself.

* * *

Remus and Hermione continued through their day calmly, but separately. He tolerated her continual evasion of him but felt increasingly drawn to her as the day went on. While the full moon was weeks away, his alter ego lurked close to the surface. Since the death of his girlfriend, Nymphadora Tonks, during the War and his subsequent acceptance of his lupine side, the wolf and the man shared consciousness. He was able to keep the wolf under control most of the time, but periods of extreme emotion caused the wolf to get restless. He was quickly realizing that arousal fell into the category of extreme emotion, where he had only experienced the struggle during periods of extreme anger and grief.

He ducked behind the counter to assist a customer, too focused on his task to notice the witch already occupying the space. She looked up from her book sharply, startled by his sudden presence and she attempted to duck out of his way, but he took advantage of their proximity.

"So sorry, love. I'll be out of your way in a moment." He impressively kept the smile off of his face, but his wolf puffed up with pride at having herded her into touching him. He set his hands on the countertop in front of her, tucking her into his broad chest and smirking slightly when he heard her soft intake of air. He hoped she liked how he smelt.

"So, are you all ready to check out?" He asked the older woman in front of him. She smiled and nodded, handing over her purchase and retrieving her wallet from her large floral purse. He pretended not to notice Hermione's embarrassment and let his free hand rest gently on the small of her back. Her face reddened slightly and she kept quiet.

"You two are a lovely couple." The old woman smiled, taking her receipt and leaving before Hermione could contradict her. Remus preened at the compliment and remained firmly in place, keeping Hermione flush against the adjacent wall.

"Remus," Hermione kept her eyes down, "can you let me out? I have more work I need to do in the back." Remus stood tall above her, his hand still resting on her lower back and he leaned closer. He lightly pinned her to the wall behind her, seemingly oblivious to the few customers in the store and her discomfort.

Hermione felt her body heat up in response to Remus' being so close to her. She fought the desire, repeating Sirius' name over and over in her head to try and shake the sensual fog Remus triggered in her. She looked up to meet his blue eyes, and shot him a desperate look.

"Please, Remus." She pleaded, unsure of what she was asking for. He hovered, remaining close to her but unwilling to push her past her set boundaries. He curled his strong arms around her waist, pulling her close to him and leaning down to let his lips brush against her ear.

"Sorry, love." He whispered lowly, and he turned with her in his grip to be against the wall himself. His arms hung loosely around her hips and he leaned against the wall. He wanted to give her a choice in what happened, but he relished her soft curves and needed to keep her close for at least a moment longer.

Her eyes lingered on his lips, her fingers longing to feel the rough stubble on his cheeks and the strength of his hands holding her tight. Her cheeks reddened and her core throbbed when the scent of him reminded her of their time together in his bed. Remus fought a low groan when he sensed her arousal and he fought the urge to grind himself into her center. She lingered for a moment longer before fleeing to the back of the shop.

Remus shook his head to clear his mind and grabbed a book from the counter.

* * *

Remus stood with his fists clenched, his hair falling messily into his view and his eyes flashed from blue to gold continually. He cursed whichever cruel soul it was that invented short skirts. His eyes flicked to the dark haired woman in the back.

Hermione stood high on a ladder, up on her toes to reach a book on the top shelf. She kept a cart beside her, stacked with texts she needed for her next research assignment. Her skirt, while perfectly modest on the ground, was ill prepared to cover her pale skin from below, and Remus fought the urge to thoroughly examine her exposed thighs.

"Remus?" She called, unaware of her vulnerable position. "Could you read that list for me?" She pointed to the parchment on the cart. "I need to know which edition of this text to grab."

Remus nodded jerkily and came to her aid. He kept his eyes fixed on the cracked floorboards, focusing on the paint chips as opposed to his friend's long legs. He listed off the next three books she needed and she searched for them.

She stretched horizontally to reach a book that was just outside of her grasp but yelped when her foot slipped off the rung. Remus instinctively reached up to steady her, his long arm shooting up to support her.

His blood froze when he realized where his hand had landed.

His hand was firmly cupping her bottom. He felt the soft warmth of her panties, the generous swell of her cheeks and the smoothness of her most intimate skin. He felt a dizzyingly strong pulse of arousal course through him and settle low in his groin.

They stood frozen for a few minutes, completely clueless as to what to do in this situation. Both of their faces were flushed and their mouths gaped open like a pair of quite cute fish.

Hermione felt herself get wet at the feeling of Remus' strong hand supporting her, her arousal warmed his palm and he groaned quietly. He waved his hand towards the door, locking it with a loud snap. He should have realized earlier that his efforts to keep his distance were futile.

He let his fingers slip under the edge of her panties and growled when he felt her slick softness. She moaned quietly, leaning her head against the bookcase and reminding herself to stay firm in her convictions.

If only she could remember what those convictions were…

* * *

Remus yanked Hermione into the back room of their store and bent her over her desk. He took his time once he had her alone, letting his cheek rub against the soft flesh of her ass and he slipped his tongue out to tickle her lightly. He chuckled when she flinched and he bit gently into her cheek.

"Oh my god," She moaned, her head swimming when he slipped a finger into her tight heat, "Remus, what are we doing?" Remus chuckled lowly and pumped a little more insistently. "I'm – oh god – I'm seeing Sirius, I can't do this!" She whimpered when he sucked a dark mark on her inner thigh, but her objections fell on deaf ears. Remus kept his rhythm constant yet slow, drawing the pleasure from her like a note from a fine violin.

"Relax, love. It's inevitable." Remus drawled out, letting his tongue join his fingers and feeling a surge of masculine pride at the quiet whimpers she couldn't contain.

"What do you mean inevitable?" She moaned, trying to keep her mind clear but failing miserably.

"We'll explain when they get back." Remus muttered, before ripping her panties off and surging home with a single thrust. "Holy fuck, love." He growled, his hands bruising her hips and his thick member splitting her open. Hermione's head flew back and she let out a strangled moan, her dark hair falling down her back in a chocolate cascade.

He had always loved chocolate.

Hermione didn't think that the heat could grow any more, but she discovered how wrong she was when Remus began releasing a string of filthy curses. Remus' well-behaved exterior clearly disguised the animal within, and the thought made her as wet as Sirius' passion had made her a few nights earlier. She moaned loudly when Remus gripped her shoulder to pull her upright. He held her back to his chest, thrusting wildly while holding his head close to her ear.

"God damn, love. You're so beautiful, I've wanted you for so long." He kissed her neck tenderly, a sharp contrast to his rough thrusting below. "So glad you're finally ours, darling." Hermione's eyes shot open at this, but she couldn't focus long enough to ask him what he meant.

Remus drove her to an orgasm while bent over the desk, and then brought her to the floor with him. He kept his pace fast and deep, but was careful to not pound her too harshly into the floor. His head stayed by her ear, whispering encouragements and words of comfort to make sure she knew exactly how much this meant to him.

Hermione was overwhelmed by the pleasure, unable to form words but continually moaning. Her fingers dug deep into his shirt, realizing belatedly that they were still both completely clothed.

She screamed when she hit her second orgasm, overwhelmed by the sensations of Remus driving deep into her and she felt her heart warm when he spilled inside of her. They lay together on the floor of the storeroom for a few minutes, gathering themselves.

Hermione turned to him, unsure as to where they stood when the haze of sex cleared.

"I don't understand." She frowned deeply. Her guilt settled deep like a rock in her gut, unable to believe that she had been unfaithful to Sirius. Although nothing had been formalized, she knew that the intimacy that she and Sirius shared was not simply casual sex, and she felt appalled that she could betray him the way she did.

Remus opened his mouth to explain, but Hermione swiftly stood and apparated. He hurriedly stood and followed.

* * *

Remus appeared in front of Grimmauld Place just in time to see the front door slam shut. He leapt up the stoop and flung the door open, suddenly colliding with Hermione's back.

"Hermione, you need to listen to me!" Remus grabbed her shoulders and tried to seize her attention, but her focus was fixed on the stairs. "Hermione? What are you looking at?" He followed her line of sight, paling when he understood her panic.

A long, thick trail of dark liquid stained the staircase ahead of them.

Remus tucked her behind him and drew his wand cautiously. "Hello?" He called, "Is anyone there?" The only sound they heard was the soft dripping of blood.

Remus climbed the staircase warily, careful to keep Hermione out of sight. He followed the trail to the first floor bathroom. He stepped inside slowly and peered inside. Hermione saw him rush into the room and heard his distressed yell.

She quickly followed him into the room, shocked to see the blonde head of hair hanging out of the claw foot tub. The black and white tiled floor was barely visible under the pools of dark viscous liquid and Hermione nearly slipped in her shock. Draco's hair was spattered with crimson.

His hand hung limply from the rim of the tub and his head lolled to the side. Remus pulled him to the floor, peeling off his shirt to reveal several deep slashes. He vanished the blood that was in his way, sewing together skin with his wand.

Many questions needed answering, but one hung especially heavy in the air.

 _Where was Sirius?_


	7. Chapter 7

_My love must be a kind of blind love._

 _I can't see anyone but you._

Crimson slid in the gaps of her fingers, coating her pale palms, her pale wrists, her pale forearms. She pressed harder into Draco, trying to ignore the pained gasp of air that escaped his mangled chest. She tried not to focus on his feeble struggles to escape her torment, as he was too injured to understand that the young witch's hands were the only thing holding his body together. She felt his heart stutter beneath her hands, beating a weak and erratic rhythm.

"Please don't stop. Please don't stop. Please don't stop." She whispered, her shoulders shaking but her palms firm.

Hermione breathed deeply, remembering her training from the war and praying for Remus to get back as quickly as possible.

* * *

 _Are the stars out tonight?_

 _I don't know if it's cloudy or bright._

 _I only have eyes for you._

Her head slid across the cupboard behind her and the sharp jerk of her neck woke her. She blinked for a few moments, trying to clear her head and raised a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. She looked down the hallway, hearing hushed voices in the nearest room.

Hermione rested a hand on the paneling beside her and stood. The low voices grew easier to understand the closer she got to the doorway. She leaned heavily against the molding and crossed her arms.

Inside, two tall men stood by the bed of Draco Malfoy. They spoke in soft tones, but there was a clear edge to the conversation. Remus let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. He stepped back from the dark-haired man, looked at the floor and then let his eyes rest on the man asleep in the bed close to him.

"I don't know, Severus. I have no idea how this happened and the only person who does is missing." Remus crossed his arms before turning to face Snape.

"Look, Lupin. Whoever did this is clearly capable of coming after all of us. We need to know more about who did this to Draco so we can understand how at risk the rest of us are." Severus spoke lowly but firmly, "Just because the mutt has taken off, doesn't mean that we can simply wait around."

Remus let out a low growl and stepped closer to Severus to defend Sirius, but Hermione interrupted.

"Severus." Her feet padded against the floor quietly, and she kept her arms wrapped around her stomach. Snape and Remus turned to her and broke their terse exchange.

"Contact me if his condition changes." Snape bowed his head slightly to Hermione, "Goodnight, Ms. Granger. Lupin." He nodded to Remus as well, but there was a clear difference in his demeanor regarding the two roommates. Hermione stepped aside to let him by, her formality dropping at the instant of his absence.

Her shoulders sunk in exhaustion and she scrubbed her face with her hands. She stepped closer to Remus, letting her shoulder nudge his. They stood together in silence, drawing comfort from the other. Hermione breathed in the warm spice of his scent and felt as if the constant static in the back of her mind mercifully lessened. She savored the quiet.

Remus leaned close for a moment and dropped a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. "Goodnight, love. We can talk tomorrow." He gave her small hand a squeeze in his own, warm and calloused hand.

Hermione let out a small noise of contentment, soothed by his strong presence. Even after the sound of his footsteps faded from the room, Hermione felt Remus' strength and support fortify her and quell the shaking in her fingers. She turned to look at Draco, his light hair contrasting beautifully against his black satin sheets. His skin was no longer pallid, but characteristically pale. His face was completely relaxed in his unconsciousness, and she couldn't help but observe that he somehow still carried his masculinity and refined demeanor.

She sat on the edge of his bed, leaning forward to check his temperature with the back of her hand. She felt a slight pull in her lower stomach at the feel of his smooth skin and she swallowed thickly. She shook her head to refocus herself, unhappy with her body's recently overactive libido.

Hermione moved to the chair beside the bed, pulling a book from Draco's bookshelf and opening it on her lap. She curled her feet under herself and settled in for a long night.

 _The moon may be high,_

 _But I can't see a thing in the sky._

 _I only have eyes for you._

 _The harsh sounds of his breathing were all he could hear. His turned his head abruptly to either side, wincing when he felt the brittle tendons of his neck pull. He regretted his decision to rest against a tree earlier in the evening, but his fatigue had been so strong he could barely lift his boots. His jeans were tucked messily into his boots, spattered with mud and dark red, almost black, blood._

" _Fuck."_

 _He cursed gruffly when a long branch scraped against his leg, tearing the denim and ripping another gash to join the others. His fingers wrapped tightly around his wand, choking the neck of the smooth wood. He continued through the woods, crouched low to avoid being spotted by the men pursuing him._

 _He knew that apparating was a risk; the sound was a clear giveaway to any mystical beings nearby, but he couldn't just leave Draco bleeding out on the floor of the woods. He only wished that he had been luckier when he fled London. His decision to return to the wilderness rested on his fear of the men following him back to Grimmauld Place. He knew that the chase he currently gave was providing Remus and Severus the time they needed to heal Draco. He was also glad that it gave him an opportunity to keep Hermione and the others' safe from these ruthless men._

 _As long as they were far away from this, he could handle it. He leapt over the log in front of him and slid into his animagus form, blending in with the black of the night._

Hermione woke with a gasp, her head snapping from its position against the wall. She cursed, feeling her neck with a cold hand instinctually, but found the pain she felt moments ago absent. Her brow furrowed at the sensation of her own skin feeling foreign to herself.

* * *

Draco woke slowly, his eyes cracking awake and he groaned slightly. His arms came down to push himself up the bed and he leaned against the headboard. He felt a deep pain run through his chest and he let out a small grunt.

He pulled the covers down to his waist, letting his fingers run across the angry red scars that spread across his chest like lightening. He grimaced when he noticed the way they overlapped with the scars that the triumphant and great Harry Potter gave him years ago.

A small whimper pulled him from his examination of his own scars, and his gaze lifted to see the woman sleeping by his bed. He crossed his arms gently, cataloguing his injuries in the process and judging his condition by the severity of the different aches and pangs.

"Granger?"

He murmured lowly, leaning forward to see if her eyes were still closed. He started slightly at Hermione's abrupt awakening, and he winced at the small chuckle that escaped him. He regretted laughing in his condition, but couldn't help but be amused by her frazzled state.

He watched carefully while she rubbed her neck and raised a brow at her uncharacteristically foul language. He kept silent and observed her thinking, practically able to hear the gears turning in her head.

"Hoping to catch a peak while I'm incapacitated?" Draco smirked at her, flexing his muscles subtly to lend her a more alluring sight. He raised a blonde eyebrow, wincing at the painful pull at his previously undiscovered new scar.

Hermione frowned instinctively, readying a biting retort before realizing his consciousness. She shot up from her perch and strode closer to his side. She sat on the edge of his bed, leaning close to feel his forehead and check for any fever or clamminess. Her eyes were focused on him clinically, seeing him not as a man, but a patient.

Draco detested it.

He reached out to capture her small hands in his, not noticing the way his thumbs softly stroked the smooth skin of her inner wrists. He smirked at the slight flush that spread across her cheeks and emphasized the freckles that fanned her small nose.

Their eyes met and his silver challenged her golden amber, and he enjoyed the frustration and conflict behind hers. His tongue slipped out to wet his lips and he did not miss the way her eyes followed. He felt his body tighten pleasantly, but then realized his arousal and pulled himself back together.

"I'm fine, Granger. Really. Stop pawing at me," He released her hands and waved dismissively at her. "You're embarrassing yourself."

Hermione seemed to remember herself, rolled her eyes and pulled her hands back to her lap.

"Are you sure that you're alright?" She asked formally, busying her hands with the gauze she found on his nightstand. He nodded patiently, allowing her the comfort of retreat. She nodded to herself, before standing and walking to the door.

She turned to him once more, holding the door open. "Remember to drink lots of water and eat when you're ready. You may feel better, but the injury took a large toll on your body and you need rest. Severus has ordered strict bed rest, so I don't want to catch you wandering the house." Draco's posture hardened when she mentioned Snape.

"Severus was here?" He asked stiffly, the smirk dropping from his face. Hermione nodded, not quite understanding his discomfort, but understanding that he'd likely prefer she not ask.

He nodded to himself, before speaking again. "Can you let him know that I would like to speak to him soon?" His gaze was locked to his hands, and she respected his space.

"Of course." She responded quietly, shutting the door behind herself.

* * *

Hermione sat in the library, reading through a set of books on incidents of shared consciousness. She knew that her peculiar dream was likely just peculiar, but her gut told her something more significant was going on. Her fingers tenderly held the corner of the page, careful to not fold the aged parchment. The thick pages were slightly yellowed as time went on and the edges were no longer perfectly crisp, but she endeavored to preserve the books long neglected by the tempestuous Black Family.

She had sought the quiet of the library a few hours earlier, eager to avoid the tension between her and Remus and prevent her curiosity from driving her to eavesdrop on the conversation between Draco and Snape.

She struggled to focus on the words on the page, her thoughts overtaken by the desire to know the details of Draco's attack and understand everything that the men were hiding from her. She was always the voice of reason behind her friends and mind behind the operation during the war, so she was extremely uncomfortable with being left out of the loop. She understood that Draco and Sirius' operation was covert and highly classified, but it seemed that Remus and Snape knew details that she was not privy to and that irked her greatly.

She heard the telltale flare of a fireplace above her that signaled Severus' departure from their home. She let out a small sigh, tucking her rebellious hair behind her ear for what felt like the millionth time, and got back to her reading.

Twenty minutes later, Remus entered the library. Hermione tried not to stiffen in reaction to his presence, but her efforts were not realized. Remus frowned slightly, reminding himself to not feel hurt by her subtle rejection.

"Hermione, we need to talk." He fought the urge to shove his hands in his pockets, his hands busying themselves with a nearby book instead. He sat beside her on the couch, careful to keep a respectable distance between them, despite his desire to pull her close and feel her by his side.

Hermione swallowed thickly and closed the book. She was wary of him and made the decision to keep the title of the book hidden beneath her hands.

"What the hell happened yesterday, Remus?" She asked, "I'm in a new relationship or… whatever the hell it is, with Sirius, and I don't lose control the way I did yesterday. I have never felt that out of control with anyone, with the exception of Sirius. I'm not unfaithful." She fixed her hard eyes on Remus, urging him to explain himself. "You and Sirius have both said confusing things that lead me to believe something more sinister is going on. What is our relationship? Does it have anything to do with why Sirius is missing? And what in the goddamn hell happened to Draco? I haven't seen cursed wounds like that since the darkest periods of the war. Nothing we did would stop the bleeding. What in the goddamn fuck is going on in this house?" She growled, her nails digging into the weathered leather of the text on her lap, and she quickly retracted her grip when she noticed.

Remus sat quietly, his gaze settled on the book in his grasp. He shifted slightly, then set the book aside and met her eyes.

"Hermione, I haven't told you yet because it isn't completely my story to tell. Sirius and I were researching the bond, but we weren't finished before this Auror crisis happened." Remus scrubbed his hands over his face tiredly. "I don't know the full story of Draco and Sirius' mission, I only know the following: Sirius and Draco were tracking the Lestrange brothers and Antonin Dolohov. They were tracking them through Eastern Europe, but something clearly went wrong."

Hermione nodded, slightly placated by the amount of information given. "What did Severus say about Draco's injuries?" She crossed her arms.

Remus frowned again, this time in concern for Draco. "Severus isn't completely sure what happened, but the wound was definitely cursed. You were right about that. He believes that Sirius dumped Draco here because he was too injured to keep up with him, but there is clearly no love lost between Severus and Sirius, so clearly that is not true. I'm not exactly sure why Sirius dropped Draco here." Remus paused, thinking it over.

"He couldn't just leave Draco bleeding out on the floor of the forest, could he?" Hermione grumbled, picking at her fingernails.

Remus reached out suddenly, grabbing her hands in his. Her eyes snapped up to his, her confused eyes meeting his determined gaze.

"How did you know they were in a forest? Even Severus couldn't figure out where they were attacked." Remus was urgent, his eyes gleaming with the possibility that Hermione could lead them to Sirius.

Hermione swallowed, avoiding his eyes. "I'm still not even sure if the vision was real. I'm not a seer, so it wouldn't even make sense." She grumbled, trying not to excite him unnecessarily.

"Hermione," Remus moved closer, invading her personal space. "What are you talking about?"

She shrugged, "Once again, I'm not certain that it's anything to take seriously. I just had a strangely out of body experience last night when I was asleep." She paused, and Remus nodded her on. She shook her head slightly, took a deep breath and continued hesitantly, "I wasn't sure whose body I was in at the start, but I knew it was a large man just by the sounds of his breathing. He was running through a dark forest, and then his thoughts were drawn to Draco and us and it became apparent that I was in Sirius' mind."

"Did you see any significant landmarks that could point us to his location?" Remus asked, unsure of when he had grabbed her hands, but he took the time to soothe her by running his thumbs across her small wrists.

She shook her head. "No, I just know that it was a forest somewhere in England. He was worried about the sound of his apparition and being found, and he's been roughed up. He left Draco here for us to find, certain that we would be able to heal what he could not. He fled London in the hopes that by giving chase, he could give you and Severus enough time to figure out how to heal Draco." She took a deep breath. "I don't know how long he's going to be on the run, or what he's trying to do. It was just a small snapshot."

Remus squeezed her hands comfortingly. "It's not insignificant. We know now that Sirius is alive. That's huge." He smiled, his face relaxing for the first time in 48 hours at the news that his best friend was safe and relatively unharmed.

Hermione looked down at their joined hands thoughtfully. She carefully removed her hands from his.

"I don't understand what is going on between us, but I know that it will have to wait until Sirius returns." Remus nodded understandingly, and stood up. He nodded his head slightly to her before leaving her alone in the library.

* * *

 _I don't know if we're in a garden_

 _Or on a crowded avenue_

 _He was standing in a filthy dark bathroom, staring down at a white porcelain sink, tainted by rust. His large calloused hands were positioned on either side of the sink, and the tension in his shoulders echoed in Hermione's own. His black t-shirt was torn and splattered with dried mud. He fingered his shirt, contemplating removing it to clean it in the sink, but he knew that he didn't have the time to wait for it to dry._

 _He shook his head, waving a quick 'Scourgify' at himself. He grimaced at the unpleasant sensation on his already scraped skin._

 _He looked up into the mirror, and Hermione was shocked to see his face looking back at her. She had understood that she was in his mind before, but seeing his battered face made it all the more tangible._

 _Despite the dirt and scratches across his face, the bloodstains that peaked out of the collar of his shirt, and the sweat that slicked his hair back; he was still devastatingly handsome. His dark hair was messy and his strong jawline could break marble. He was more unkempt than usual, his dark stubble contrasting his smooth skin. Hermione idly remembered the feel of his slight stubble from their night together, and she wondered how this longer hair would feel running along her skin._

" _Hermione." His stormy blue eyes were locked on the image he faced, appearing to him as simply his, but he understood the significance. "I'm coming home soon, love." He reached out to touch his image in the mirror._

 _You are here, and so am I._

 _Maybe millions of people go by,_

 _But they all disappear from view._

Hermione's head fell forward and she jolted awake. She heard urgent knocking at the front door on the floor below her, and hurried to get up from the couch. She ran down the stairs, seeing the broad form of Remus reaching to grasp the door.

Remus turned at her appearance, confused as to her haste. His eyebrows shot up in understanding, and he turned instantly to rip the door open.

Sirius leaned heavily against the door, holding his side with a bloodied hand.

"Told you I'd be home soon." Sirius smirked at Hermione. He tugged her close with his free arm, kissed her heavily and then collapsed into the house.

 _And I only have eyes for you._

* * *

So sorry for the delay, but Happy Valentine's Day! Drop me a review and let me know what you think. Don't worry, Draco will be coming much more into the focus after this chapter. There is method to my madness, I assure you.


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione looked at her hands, continually clasping and unclasping them on the table in front of her. The skin around her fingernails was frayed and irritated, flushed an ugly pink from her continual nervous picking. She idly wondered why she never painted her nails; admiring it on other women, but rarely doing it herself. Perhaps she should pamper herself more often. Is nail polish healthy? All those chemicals on her skin couldn't be good in the long term. Did nails count as skin?

In times of great stress, Hermione liked to busy her mind with less emergent thoughts. Thinking about the properties of gillyweed and hemlock was a good way to stabilize panic in combat. This habit proved useful while she avoided the gazes of the three men sitting at the table in front of her.

The silence hung in the air, thick and tense. Hermione's upper back and shoulders were taut under her pale pink cardigan. Usually, the way the soft cashmere clung to her slender frame lent her comfort, but tonight it felt suffocating. The quiet felt solid in her throat and lungs, filling her up until she felt she might burst. All of the noise she held in would pour off of her tongue in a nonsensical torrent. She wrung her hands and bit at her lips in an attempt to keep calm.

"Hermione." Remus' calm voice rung out in the kitchen and cut through the hush. Even his smooth, deep tone seemed severe in contrast. He leant closer, letting his hand rest over hers and willing his serenity to permeate her pores and rise through her fingers. Hermione's eyes were locked on his rough hands.

She quietly slipped her hand out from under his and it retreated to her lap. His disappointment was audible.

"I don't understand how or why you didn't tell me." She spoke to her lap; unsure whether she was unwilling or unable to meet the eyes of her roommates.

"We don't fully understand it either, love." Sirius scrubbed a hand over his face, the exhaustion apparent in the deep folds under his dark eyes. His arms were crossed over his chest, presenting his tattoos proudly and providing a protective barrier between himself and the intimacy of their situation. The quiet scuff of his hand rubbing against his stubble soothed Hermione's nerves slightly.

"How long have you all known?" She still refused to look up. She heard their discomfort in the shifting of their shoes against the floor and the creaking of their aged chair frames.

"I became curious after we had been living together for a few weeks." Remus responded. "We have always been close," he sent a small smile her way, but she did not see it, "but I recognized a deeper connection to you that I had never noticed before. I felt it deep inside of me, and the wolf is passionate about you in a way that he never has been before." His voice dropped into a gruff bass tone at the mention of the wolf, and Hermione felt her thighs shiver under her thin floral skirt. She grimaced and crossed her ankles.

"I shared my concerns with Sirius after that morning in the kitchen. I'm sure you remember the numerous amorous incidents between you and Sirius and I. He and I decided to research mates and bonds, digging through the Black family library for any reasonable explanations for the phenomena. The theory of mates was the first crossed off, as I would have been enraged by Sirius' pursuit of you." Hermione nodded to herself in silent agreement. She could feel all three of them looking at her. Remus took in a deep breath in preparation for his length explanation.

"Merlin's balls, Lupin, could you do this any slower?" Draco groaned, rubbing the itching lines of his healed wounds with a bruised hand.

Remus bristled and opened his mouth to retort, but Hermione raised a hand to silence him. She met Draco's eyes with cool defiance.

"Want to tell it faster, ferret?" His responding grin was razor sharp.

"Gladly." He reached over to grasp the slim neck of the firewhiskey bottle, tipping it to pour amber liquid into his tumbler. The three matching glasses sat unused around the table. "You're stuck with us." He tilted his head back and the liquor slid from the glass into his mouth.

Hermione and Remus stiffened and Sirius let his head fall back with a frustrated groan. "You really had to phrase it like that, Draco?" Sirius glared, aggravated by the waves of discomfort that he could feel rolling off of Hermione.

Remus reached for Hermione's hand again, but reconsidered and withdrew before making contact. "You're not stuck with us, Hermione. We're um…" He looked to Sirius for confirmation.

"We're yours, and you're ours." Sirius took the bottle from Draco and took a deep pull, forgoing the glass completely.

"What does that mean?" Hermione growled, "I don't understand how this happened or what any of this means. What happened with the dreams? Why aren't either of you bothered that I was unfaithful? Why was I unfaithful in the first place? I don't understand what is happening us and if you don't explain it, I will leave!" Hermione clutched her glass tightly to keep her fingers from shaking. Her free hand was fisted tightly and she felt her nails dig into the skin of her palm.

"We don't fully understand it either, love." Sirius kept a few fingers loosely hung around the neck of his bottle. "All we know is that old pureblood families have a history of bonds created from life debts. We believe that these bonds were created as a way to transfer belongings and fortunes to non-blood relatives during times of infertility and conflict. Moony and I," he motioned to Remus with a lazy hand motion, "experienced it for the first time during the initial rise of Voldemort. I was injured during an Order raid and Remus put himself in front of a cutting curse for me. It easily would have ended me." Sirius took another swig of the whiskey. "We didn't notice it at the time, but we noticed the way we felt more calm in each others' presence in an entirely unfamiliar way." Remus and Sirius exchanged a meaningful look.

Sirius cleared his throat. "So obviously, Remus and my bond is different from yours with us. We have never had a relationship further than familial. Clearly, the bond we share with you is quite different." Remus nodded.

"We believe that your and my bond," Sirius asserted, "was established either when you rescued me from the dementors in your third year, or when you pulled me from the veil a few years ago. We aren't sure when your bond was created with Remus, or whether it is dependent on my bond with him. It's hard to understand how this all works because we're not sure when this all started."

Hermione paused thoughtfully. "I know when it started." She said quietly. Remus and Sirius perked up.

"I saved Remus during the Final Battle." Hermione muttered.

"What?" He shook his head in objection. "I don't remember seeing you until the end?" His eyes were full of confusion.

"You were mourning Tonks," she paused respectfully, "and your back was turned. Antonin Dolohov had woken from your stunning spell and snuck up behind you. He was about to cast a spell," she cleared her throat, "and so I cast first." She met his eyes firmly, content with her decision.

"You killed Dolohov?" Remus swallowed thickly. Sirius and Draco were watching Hermione carefully. They hadn't known that the Gryffindor Princess had taken a life.

Hermione nodded and responded softly. "I did."

The four of them sat in silence for a few moments, before Sirius chimed in.

"I killed a person last week." He took another pull from the whiskey bottle before Remus snatched it from him.

Draco grabbed it from Remus, wiped the mouth, and took a sip. "I killed two people last week." He nodded neutrally to Hermione, sardonic but firm in his solidarity.

Remus groaned and rubbed his face. He took the bottle back from Draco and took an enormous drink. Sirius winked at Hermione across the table and she fought a relieved smile.

"We've been bonded since the end of the war as well." Draco nodded to her. Sirius and Remus looked between the two curiously. "At Malfoy Manor." She nodded in understanding and looked back down at her hands.

"What the bloody hell were you doing at Malfoy Manor?" Sirius growled, his eyes darkening at the thought of Hermione being forced to visit the reviled former home of the Dark Lord. His fists were clenched on the table. He was clearly remembering the scars that littered her skin and imagining all sorts of scenarios that could create them. Remus was silent, but rigid as well. The wolf was clearly anxious and riled.

"I, um." Hermione couldn't meet their concerned eyes. She looked to Draco instead.

"It's okay, Granger. They can handle it." He nodded to her calmly, and let his hand come up to brush a curl behind her ear. Hermione smiled gently at him and steeled her resolve. Her caution did little to soothe Remus and Sirius' nerves.

"Harry, Ron and I were captured by snatchers during the war." Remus and Sirius' looks darkened further. "I successfully kept them from identifying Harry with a stinging spell, but Draco saved us all by refusing to confirm his identity." Hermione nodded as if the story was finished, but it was clear that there was more to it.

"What happened after that? It's not as if they would let you go, surely some of them would be able to identify you and Weasley." Sirius crossed his arms, glaring at her for postponing her answer.

"You don't have to share if you don't want to." Remus jumped in, instinctively reaching for her hand again. He quickly realized his mistake and went to pull back, but she let her fingers curl around his cautiously.

"Bellatrix was there." Hermione kept her eyes fixed on their intertwined fingers. She could sense the tension that poured off of Remus and Sirius across the table. "She locked Harry and Ron in the basement and tortured me, certain that we had stolen the Sword of Gryffindor from her. Harry found it in the woods late one night, but Snape had placed a copy in her vault and she believed that we had somehow broken in and stolen it.

"We realized that another horcruxe must be in her vault because of her level of panic, and so we broke into her vault after we escaped and were able to destroy another piece of Voldemort's soul." It was clear that Sirius and Remus wanted more details regarding her safety, but they understood that while their questioning may assuage their fears, it would do little to comfort Hermione herself.

"Do we know why the bonds are exclusive yet different between all of us?" Draco interjected, eager to change the subject and give Hermione relief. "I saved Potter and Weasley's lives as well, but I'm not panting for some cock or anything." His grin was dark and amused, but hid a deeper level of concern. "I also don't feel a connection to either of the two of you. We feel like family, but I think that's more from the actual close relationship we've grown over the years and not some magical fairy bond."

Remus cleared his throat at his language, but Sirius barked a chuffed laugh.

"We believe that there needs to be a deep connection or attraction between the parties for the bond to take hold. We've also observed that the bonds solidify and strengthen with prolonged proximity." Remus nodded to Hermione. "We were all able to tolerate your relationship with Weasley for several years, so we believe that the bond is reliant on intentions and emotions. The first few weeks you lived with us, our bond was mostly familial and affectionate, but it grew…" Remus cleared his throat and a rose flush crawled up his neck, "…more romantic over time."

Hermione flushed darkly, looking up hesitantly and found herself locked into Sirius' dark and determined gaze. She coughed slightly and looked towards Draco, feeling the butterflies in her stomach drop lower at his comparably dark and steely eyes. She caught a glimpse of Remus' eyes flickering between blue and amber, before settling on the safe sight of the table.

An awkward silence settled between them once more, broken by Draco setting his glass down hard on the weathered wood.

"Well, I'm not fucking any blokes."

* * *

In the week following Hermione's discovery, she had seldom seen her housemates. She could feel them lingering nearby, eager to give her any aid in adjusting, but also understanding that Hermione needed time to think in solitude. She idly considered their sensitivity and understanding of her needs, and appreciated them immensely.

Hermione woke late on Saturday morning, exhausted from her late night at work the day before. She quietly padded down the stairs, carefully avoiding the creaky step. She paused in her descent; interested by the low singing she could hear.

"Why do you build me up, buttercup baby, just to let me down? And mess me around, oh, and worst of all. You never call me back when you say you will. But I love you still!"

Hermione peaked into the kitchen and was thoroughly amused to see a shirtless Draco Malfoy dancing barefoot in the kitchen. He kept his singing quiet and his dancing subtle, merely shifting his weight from foot to foot with the slight sway of his hips. While considered discreet by most people's standards, on him, it was absolutely alien. However odd the situation in Hermione's perspective, she mused, he seemed awfully comfortable on his feet, and his singing wasn't half bad.

Her humor was slightly dampened by lust, as she took her time to admire the strong planes of his broad back and shoulders. The jagged scars from his attack stretched across his skin, but their angry redness had faded. She felt a strong desire to feel their roughness against her tongue.

She coughed in surprise at her last thought, unwittingly giving away her presence. Draco froze, mid-step, turning to her sharply. His cold eyes locked on her; her hair was tossed from sleep, soft cotton shorts and top rumpled.

Hermione couldn't pull her eyes away, frozen in the blonde's firm gaze. He quietly set the spatula aside and his large fingers circled her pale wrist. He gave a slight tug, and she drifted into his arms. His rough hands slid underneath her light top, completely enveloping her hips and pulling her closer, until his hardness prodded her stomach gently. He turned her, such that her back was against the wall, and slowly dropped his head down until his lips caught hers in a soft, but far from innocent, morning kiss.

Their lips moved with the synchronicity of long time lovers, and she felt an old piece of her click into place. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, letting her fingers splay across his smooth skin. He growled softly when she grazed his skin with her nails, and he slid his hands down to grip her curvy bottom. He lifted her quickly, smirking at the surprised squeak that escaped her. She wrapped her legs around his waist automatically, rubbing her hips against him and he rubbed harder into her center in response.

He moved them quickly from the kitchen, stopping briefly while she kissed down his neck to turn off the burner of the stove. He strode quickly into the parlor, dropping her on the couch and giving her a dark grin when she looked up at him in confusion. He leant down to rip off her shorts, falling to his knees and tugging her to the edge of the sofa.

"Wait, what are yo- OH MY GOD, MALFOY!" Her question was quickly forgotten at the first teasing swipe of Draco's tongue across Hermione's clit. She cried out in shock, her back arching sharply off the couch and Draco had to band his arm across her hips, tossing one of her legs over each shoulder and holding her down firmly. He softly licked circles around her center, stopping to pull away for a moment every so often, and keeping Hermione's body electrified. He smirked to himself at her loss of composure, enjoying her body and responses immensely.

He slipped one arm free from her legs, moving down to slip a finger inside her soaked slit. He thrust deep, moving back to bite deeply into her inner thigh and he laughed at her strangled scream. Satisfied with the dark red mark, he slipped another finger deep within her and pumped deeply, taking her clit back into his mouth once again.

Feeling her coming close to the finish, he slowed down to let her hover at the limit and reached up underneath her shirt to caress her peaked nipples. Hermione was lost in the trio of sensations, flushed and moaning as Draco drove her further and further towards relief. She let out several frustrated moans and mewls and flexed against his firm hold, but he gave her bottom a firm slap and tugged her hair teasingly.

"You piece of shit, Malfoooooy!" Hermione cried in relief, finally tumbling over the edge when he simultaneously sucked her clit hard into his mouth and pressed insistently on her g-spot.

Hermione laid there for a few moments, struggling to regain her senses, while Draco rubbed her stomach soothingly. He smirked as her dark eyelashes lifted to reveal sleepy honey brown eyes, and he squeezed her thigh smugly.

"Morning, Granger." He grinned, then smoothly stood and returned to cooking his breakfast.

Hermione's head dropped back onto the couch with a quiet thud, and she stared up at the ceiling, exhausted.

* * *

Sorry that this update took so long, but I've been working hard in school. New chapter soon to follow, I promise!


	9. Chapter 9

"Are you morons still hoping for a way in?"

Draco looked down at the two older men sitting against the fresh wallpaper of the corridor. He quirked a silver brow at the two of them and continued to eat his bowl of cereal with the nonchalance and grace of a born aristocrat.

Remus sighed heavily into his arms, while Sirius glared at Draco.

"She hasn't come out in days, Malfoy. We're worried and hoping to find a way in." He gritted out, fixing the tightly shut library doors with his vicious yet exhausted gaze. Maybe if he got angry enough, he could melt the iron locks. If Superman could do it, why not him?

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please. We all know that the only way into that shrew's domain is by invitation. Granger is not sloppy. She'll come out when she's ready. Either that, or when some distant oppressed creature cries out for justice." He paused for another lengthy and audible crunch of cereal. "Besides, there's food and a bathroom in there." He muttered the last part to himself, but the canine ears of both roommates perked at that.

"Wait, what?" Remus' head shot up. "There's no bathroom or food in the library. I've been living here for years; I would have known!"

Draco shrugged and avoided eye contact, but the redness creeping up from his collar betrayed his disinterest.

"The bloody bookworm loses track of time. It only made sense to equip the room with the essentials. I swear; that woman would've starved months ago if I didn't hide some something edible every few shelves."

Sirius and Remus looked quite skeptical and amused.

"And the bathroom?"

Draco swirled his spoon in the pale bowl. "The witch smells bad enough as it is. I figured that increased proximity to a lavatory would remind her of basic human hygiene patterns."

Sirius bit back his smile, but his eyes crinkled with restrained mirth. "So shower or tub?"

Draco scoffed. "Obviously both. It's not as if one could take a proper shower in a tub with those ridiculous muggle water machines."

Remus smiled. "Muggle water machines?"

Draco sighed heavily. "Yes, Lupin. Water machines that muggles use to soothe their backs because they foolishly lack the normal ability to heal common aches and ailments. The machines stir the water and apply some sort of air pressure to ease discomfort." Draco continued, lost in thought. "The packaging labeled them 'jets,' but I'm unsure if that is what they really are called because I was under the impression that jets were used for air transportation of some sort."

Remus bit his lip to keep his smile from growing, as he did not want to embarrass the young man. Sirius had no such qualms.

"She's a lovely woman, isn't she?" He grinned, gleefully watching the Malfoy scion's ears turn Gryffindor red.

"Oh, bugger off." Draco growled, turning on a heel and leaving small drops of spilt milk in his haste.

* * *

" _Oh God, I don't know if we should." She whispered shakily, looking up into dark stormy eyes. His gaze could only be compared to the moody navy of a looming downpour, drawing her in and threatening to drench her if she didn't seek cover._

 _She couldn't help but close her eyes as his large hand made its way up her smooth skin. His fingers traversed her sternum with purpose, his callouses offered just the right amount of roughness, and his blatant want burned her from the inside out. His hand slid along her soft neck with veneration before coming up to cup her cheek gently. She swayed easily in his embrace, tilting her head back to welcome his heated kiss._

 _Sirius used his free hand to grip her hip firmly and pull her in close. The heat from his body seeped through her thin satin shift, and she flushed when she felt her hardened nipples brush against his broad chest. She couldn't help but whimper from the deep need throbbing, desperate and overwhelming, in her breasts and between her thighs. She felt lost in the pleasure, untethered and vulnerable in the waves._

 _A new, yet seemingly ever-present, warmth pressed into her back. She felt his stubble rasp against the pale curve of her shoulder, stopping to drop soft, worshipping kisses on her clusters of freckles._

" _Don't go too hard on her, Sirius." Remus' low voice rumbled deep in his chest and Hermione felt the vibrations of his smooth timbre resonate deep within herself. His heated palms curled around her front and the sensation of an additional set of hands caressing her added an entirely new, dizzying facet to the already devastating erotic tension._

 _Hermione moaned into Sirius' mouth as Remus' fingers lingered on the top of her thigh. He flirted with the slit of her slip and he dragged the thin strap clinging to her shoulder off with his teeth. He slowly made his way from shoulder to neck, pausing to lick and bite her prickling skin with the leisure of slow, Sunday morning love._

 _Her toes curled when fingers finally found her wet center._

" _That's better, isn't it, love?" Remus' grip on her hip tightened when he realized exactly how wrecked she was. She nodded helplessly, still occupied by Sirius' possessive and all-encompassing kiss. She could only manage a muffled whimper, finally giving into the pleasure and dropping her head back on Remus' shoulder with a cry._

 _Sirius, not one to be outdone, ripped the surviving strap from her shoulder and leant down to take a sensitive bud in his mouth. He laved it with his hot tongue, pausing intermittently to allow the cool air of the room to increase the sensitivity. She felt her center throb with each unsympathetic pull of his mouth. Hermione's hips were undulating in rhythm with Remus' relentless firm circles on her clit, and she knew that she had reached the point of no return._

" _How do his hands feel on you, kitten?" Sirius continued cupping her breasts distractingly, whispering harshly into her ear and breathing heavily in restraint. "Do you like feeling Remus play with your pussy while I worship your breasts?"_

 _She nodded distractedly, trying to pull Sirius closer with frantic hands. He and Remus found their rhythm, pushing and pulling her between them to seek relief from the sweet friction. She melted against the resounding hardness and saw stars when Sirius bit deeply into her neck, and screamed soundlessly as Remus pulled her closer and closer to the edge of sanity._

"Hermione?"

Hermione's head shot up from its place on her desk. She turned sharply in her seat to see ruffled raven hair and circular glasses peaking out from her private fireplace.

She stood up suddenly, and immediately regretted that decision. The kinks in her neck and shoulders panged with anger. She paused, and then shook her head. Best not to thing about kinks after a dream like _that_. She ignored the discomfort and stepped closer to the cool flames.

"Good morning, Harry! What can I do for you?" She asked, taking pride in that her voice had not once wavered, and yet praying that her skin was not nearly as flushed as it felt. She pulled her plush robe tighter across the black shift (it felt impure from its previous appearance in her dream).

"Well," a portion of Harry's hand appeared mid-air, reaching out to scratch his head in awkwardness, "I have a favor to ask."

Hermione instantly perked up. Finally, a worthwhile distraction!

"Anything, Harry. You name it!" She hoped her eagerness to get out of the sexually charged house hopefully came across as genuine affection.

Harry brightened, heaving a sigh of relief. "Excellent! Could you possibly pack a bag for a few nights?"

Hermione hemmed and hawed for the sake of appearances, but knew that the small suitcase sitting open in the corner of the library would be well suited. She didn't stay in the same clothes all week, after all. Locking yourself away from lusty temptations takes careful and detailed packing.

"I'm sure that I can figure something out. Where do you need me to go?" She asked.

"Hogwarts, actually." Hermione blinked in response. "There has been some unusual activity throughout the castle, and I was hoping that you would be able to assess the issue before the students returned from holiday."

"Unusual activity?"

"Yes," Harry answered, "the wards in several key points of the castle seem to have weakened somehow, and I figured that you would have special insight, given that you were part of the original effort to reconstruct. I was hoping that you could leave the store to Lupin for just a day or two and join the small group of specialists examining the anomaly."

Hermione frowned, "Yes, of course I will. I have no idea what could affect wards of that magnitude, but I would be happy to assist. When should I be ready to leave?"

Harry's head turned to the side, and his forearm appeared suddenly in the smoke. "Would a few hours be alright? Students are taking the train in a week, so Neville and I were hoping to get the issue resolved by then."

Hermione nodded, keen to escape the intoxicating lure of her roommates. "I'll be there in 10 minutes. Just give me a moment to leave the boys a note."

"10 minutes? That's all you need to pack a bag?" Hermione ignored Harry's confusion, hastily sending a note of her whereabouts to the outside of the library door and rushing to the bathroom to brush her teeth and calm her hair.

* * *

The familiar fresh air ruffled her hair slightly, and she tucked a rebellious curl behind her ear. Her boots lightly treaded through the grass and her hand reached out to examine the wards.

Something didn't feel right.

While nothing was conspicuously amiss, she ran the pads of her fingers gently across the grooves of the stone. The rhythm of the castle's magic felt off-kilter.

She frowned to herself, retrieved the pencil from behind her ear and noted a few observations in her notepad. The ripples and ridges of magic felt almost like scar tissue, raised and ragged. Signs of dark magic had marred the grass like burns, and all animals were conspicuously absent from this swath of the grounds. She paused to listen for any sign of activity, but the silence hung firm.

She stepped closer to the trees, drawn by a powerful urge to walk with them. She swayed slightly, and took her first step, but was distracted by the sudden rustling of leaves from behind.


	10. Chapter 10

Things were moving too slowly. Too quickly.

Flashes of a grassy field, an old castle, and skin flittered in her mind.

Her vision tilted on its axel again.

* * *

She reached down to dig her nails into his skin, scraping hard against the worn ink adorning his chest and arms. She felt a powerful urge to carve more. The desire to sink her teeth in and crawl deep inside of his mind sat heavy on her bare shoulders. She wanted to rip into him. Take and take and take until there was nothing left but what she, so graciously, gave. To gather his being for her own, to possess it, to devour it.

He sat up to lay kisses up her neck. She ground in his lap, riding him relentlessly.

"You're so beautiful, kitten." He whispered reverently.

She fisted her hand in his black hair, her eyes flashing green for a moment. She pushed him onto his back once more, continuing into the night.

* * *

"Bloody hell, Granger."

Draco's head was thrown back against the pale green tile of his shower. He ran his hands gently through her curls, holding her ponytail back from her bobbing head. She pulled away for a moment and smirked up at him.

"Should have been a Slytherin." He smiled, moving a hand to caress her cheek. His affection was quickly halted by her tongue flattening and running underneath the head of his cock. He choked on a moan. Hands tightened instinctively in her hair.

She kept eye contact with him even as his lids fluttered. She opened her pretty pink lips and relaxed her throat to take him deep enough to swallow. His hand slapped against the tile behind him with a loud smack.

His knees shook as the water fell around them. Eyes slammed shut.

She hummed around his length, and kept up her brutal pace.

* * *

"Does something seem off about Hermione?"


End file.
